Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
A.N: Very creative title, I know (sarcasm). Here's a slightly longer than usual, highly seasonal Christmas chapter. I held off posting it for a couple days just so it would be just a tad bit closer to the holidays so here it is just 4/5 days ahead of Christmas.
Wishing everyone a good holiday and hope you enjoy the chapter!
Weiss and I – 17 – White Christmas
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
The deafening cheer was followed by a bombardment of party poppers that arced confetti in every direction of the room. After Ruby and Yang were done expending five and a half boxes of party favours I let out a relieved shout as well.
Fall had departed to make way for winter, probably the most relaxing of the seasons and the first one I was spending with my friends and of course, Weiss.
The heiress I've been calling my girlfriend for nearing on a year now, despite being the one who mostly financed the fancy little clubroom we were in at the heart of the City (as per the countless hours of begging from Ruby and Yang) she did seem to be all that willing to use it. Still being her usual disinterested self again.
Yang had originally brought five, stereotypically seasonal attire, fuzzy red and white coats complete with matching skirts, boots and hat for us to adorn. For me it was a rather emasculating Santa outfit with a thick layer of padding to boot, not to mention the tacky beard hat that already smelled like someone had used it. If it wouldn't have upset the girls I would've thrown it away immediately.
Everyone, with the glaring exception of Weiss and myself quickly got changed into those silly costumes, even Blake eventually did but with a lot more hesitance than Ruby and Yang.
While I shared Weiss's aversion to the clothes and were more content with our coats, she was being a lot quieter than usual, she sat idly at the corner of the room, leaning on the armrest of the couch and staring out into the street a couple floors below.
While the others got ready the food and other activities in anticipation for the others who should turn up in about an hour I walked over to join the heiress on the seat.
"Is something the matter?"
I softly asked, my hand placed on her shoulder. The moment my palm made contact she jumped and sharply turned her head around.
"Oh, sorry I startled you."
I made the first step and apologised, with a small shake oh her head she sighed.
"No it's… it's alright."
I had been with her for so long I think even she knew that that wasn't very convincing. She may be able to fool others but not me. At first I just assumed she was just trying to be more studious, the girls all carried a massive weight on their shoulders even when compared to other Huntsmen-in-training so it made sense that she would want her team to be a little more prepared to carry such responsibility.
Weiss often preached about how no one in her team, even herself, was ready. However, that doesn't mean they don't deserve a breather every now and again.
"We're all on break you know, we can afford to have some fun."
We both turned to look at the rest of Team RWBY who were busy hanging up small banners along the top of the walls, well, maybe Blake was, Yang and Ruby had someone been able to gift wrap each other and were now wriggling on the ground like a pair of oversized caterpillars. Their soft laughs from across the room provided a background noise which mixed perfectly with the quiet festive jingles that come from the small speakers in the ceiling.
"It isn't that… it's …"
Her sentence ended abruptly and her head sank between her shoulders and she looked away. She struggled for the next few seconds to force out whatever it was that she wanted to say but ultimately she conceited defeat. The muted sigh that escaped her lips made my body shiver uneasily.
"I'm going out for a walk, call me once the others arrive."
She coldly stated before making her way towards the door. Whenever she requested something like this I normally respected it and let her have some time to herself, she was very much deserving of it anyway. However, as she walked towards her teammates to probably repeat what she told me, I caught a strange look in her eyes, a mixture of confusion and sadness.
Concerned that maybe she was upset for something at me I got myself on my feet just in time to hear the door of the clubroom shut.
Heading over to the other girls who began to share the anxious expression on my face they turned to me. Ruby asked
"Is something bothering Weiss?"
Sinking my hands into my pockets, eyeballing the door, I replied
"I don't know."
At my less than stellar answer Blake spoke up
"Why don't you go with her? She is your girlfriend after all."
I hesitated, even though it made perfect sense and was probably what I would've done, I still wondered if tagging along with her was really a wise decision. Weiss outright hated being disturbed by others when she desires to be alone, me less so but that didn't mean much.
"I… well…"
No longer tolerating my babbling Yang put a bear's grip on my shoulders and pushed my all the way to the door.
"Stop messing around, go talk to her, we can handle things up here."
Yang assured me as she shoved me out into the hallway.
"Hey girls wai-!"
I couldn't get my say in the matter as the door was swiftly slammed in my face.
With my coat and scarf on I walk through the automatic glass doors of the building into the frigid winter air.
Despite it nearing dark which tends to roll in earlier during winter, the streets were abuzz with life. Cars zipped and honked as they sped past, people flooding the sidewalks and storefronts. Multi-coloured lights stretching from one building to the next quickly overpowered the dull blue glow of the streetlights.
Getting on my toes I looked down both ends of the street, fortunately, Weiss was easy to spot for few are seen with white hair and a sideways ponytail.
Making, squeezing and meandering my way through the sea of Christmas shoppers I called out to Weiss once she came into earshot but she failed to respond in any way.
Only when we came within touching distance of each other did Weiss turn around and acknowledge me.
"What're you doing out here?"
Taking her gloved hand in mine I gave her a half smile.
"What'd you mean? I'm spending Christmas with my girlfriend."
Not sure how to reply to that she kept silent and continued walking aimlessly down the streets. Occasionally we would turn into slightly more populated areas which hosted various events celebrating the joyous occasion but for the most part the paths were only a slight hassle to go down.
"So… you want to tell me what's bugging you?"
"Well…"
She tried to pull her coat over her face she stared down at her white boots as they dragged along the concrete.
"It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is. I still want to hear it."
Weiss replied with a huff.
"You really are a pain, you know that?"
Giving her a slightly cheekier smile I leaned forward in anticipation for an explanation. Whipping her head away from me she stated firmly.
"Forget it, I'm not telling you."
Inflating my right cheek in annoyance I thought about some way to maybe cheer her up so she would talk a bit more. Suddenly, overhead hung a banner that seemed to answer my prayers. Taking off running with Weiss's hands still gripped tightly in mine I made a beeline for the nearby square.
"Whoa! S-Slow down! Dunce!"
She protested as she shouted over the screeching of her boots desperately clinging to the pavement.
Darting past several blocks into a slightly more crowded location near the local square we eventually had to bob and weave our way across the road and to the plaza.
"Weiss, check it out."
I pointed ahead of us, a big cloud of condensation pluming from my mouth with every pant. After Weiss had caught enough of her breath she lifted her head up and let out a small gasp.
"Is that…"
Her eyes widened like a child opening a present.
"An ice rink?"
The central area of the plaza had indeed been turned into an open air ice rink. Artificially made thanks to generators that utilised Ice Dust to glaze over the square and transform it into a stunning rink, it was a testament of the capabilities of the age old energy source. Along its perimeter lined rows of soft, multi-coloured lights that began to cast a stunning lightshow as all its colours sank into the ice.
There was already a substantial wealth of activity on the ice already: Children clung onto their parent's hands as they slowly skated around the edge of the rink, groups of people racing each other up and down the length of the rounded rectangle and of course an abundance of couples young and old.
"C'mon, let's go before it gets too dark."
Bringing her to the entrance of the rink to retrieve skates I could see that almost kidlike twinkle in her eyes, as nonchalant as she was trying to act.
After finding ourselves a tight enough fit such that the bladed shoes wouldn't be flung off our feet I tried to stand up on the skates, I suppose at this point it was too late to say I had zero experience with skating and more and more I got concerned that I was about to embarrass myself and by association, embarrass Weiss as well by gliding atop the ice on my belly.
"Um Weiss…"
I looked up mumbling those words to myself, hopefully getting my voice to be eventually audible but before I could explain the issue to the heiress she was already wading towards the rink, it looked like at least one of us knew how to do it.
"What are you waiting for?"
Weiss asked as she waited at the mouth of the entrance, her hand reached out to me, the most breath-taking smile on her gorgeous face. It was like she had forgotten about whatever she was upset about just a couple minutes ago.
"Coming…"
I picked myself up and began a walking stance strikingly similar to that of a penguin, slowly waddling to the heiress's side.
"Um… so you wanna take it slow or whaAAAAH!"
The moment our fingers locked Weiss bolted down the ice, the soft gush of the ice being cleaved underneath us as Weiss brought us around the frozen square at Mach speed, the rushing air sending our hair and scarves whipping about everywhere, the blinding show of lights melting into a glaring sea of colour as we sped around. And, amidst the roaring wind, crackling ice and my frantic screams I heard Weiss laugh, her voice erupting into cheers of pure euphoria. Looks like my planned worked, very spectacularly at that, her voice made my already weak knees feel like they would crumble at any second.
Eventually after doing some laps around the rink at breakneck speeds Weiss reached back to me and took hold of my other hand. Now, face to face, Weiss began twirling us around in circles. At this point it was clear I was simply along for the ride but hell of ride it was. The heiress, with her head tilted back let out an amazingly innocent giggle. If I wasn't busy holding onto her for dear life I would've pulled her into a kiss.
This moment of unrivalled nirvana would have lasted longer had Weiss's hand not slipped away from mine. The spin had sent be zipping away from Weiss and the only way I knew how to stop was on my face I panicked and jammed one of the skates sideways in front of me acting like emergency brakes as I screamed to a halt in a wake of an icy mist.
Weiss casually skated back around and came to a far more graceful halt in front of me, her cheeks still visibly glowing from the fresh surge of adrenaline.
"Wow, how long have been skating Weiss?"
She tilted her head to the side.
"What are you talking about? This is my first time…"
"What? But how are you so incredible at it?"
"Well, it's just like fighting isn't it? You just need to find your balance and let your momentum carry you forward and determine what you do next."
She did a small little pirouette on the ice, her legs effortlessly adapting to the low-friction environment without a hitch.
"It's pretty simple."
"Simple… yeah…"
Trying to gently glide myself closer to Weiss I instead let my feet slip out from underneath me, flailing and kicking frantically to stay upright I end up falling against the startled heiress.
"Heh…whoops."
Once again I heard that adorable giggle of hers as she stood me upright, her hand still held onto my arm as I did hers.
"It's so like you, bringing me out to skate when you don't even know how to do it yourself. Dunce."
She commented on my glaring lack of ability before asking
"Did you get yourself hurt?"
"Nope I'm fine. You?"
I asked back
"W-Well… yeah…"
She took a quick glance around to make sure the other skaters weren't too close before continuing her voice just a whisper now.
"You know… I've always wanted to go ice skating. Every winter I would imagine sliding around on a frozen lake or rinks just like this one."
It was moments like these that served as a stark reminder on Weiss's… challenging childhood, we normally didn't bring it up though so it came as a surprise that Weiss would be talking about it again. Especially after knowing how badly it hurts her.
I darted my head away for a second to catch my still shallow breath only to turn make around and see Weiss gaze straight up into the evening sky.
"Weiss…"
"Snow…"
It was snow, the first to fall this year, it was light and calm as the wind had all but ceased and the snowflakes began gliding in gracefully from the heavens, every individual flake momentarily caressing my cheek before melting out of existence. It was like the stars began drifting down from the canvas of the night sky.
The silence was broken by a sudden, sharp snivel. Returning my eyes to the heiress I was shocked to see her in tears, the warm liquid leaving a trail as it curved down her flawless skin.
Horrifically worried I arced my back forward and exclaimed
"Weiss?! What's wrong?"
Shaking her head I felt her grip on my arm get tighter.
"I've always liked winter…"
She began her body quivering in my embrace
"The snow… the cold… looking out from my room it was like the whole place was trapped under a thick white blanket."
As I looked on in stunned silence she placed her palm on my chest.
"I would press my hand against the frosted window, let the ice melt away from around my fingers. And, for that one brief moment… I was warm. I was under that blanket. I wanted so badly to get out there. Once. I was able to sneak out but I was only in my nightgown. I made maybe four steps into the snow before I was caught…"
"Weiss…"
"I wanted to be under that snowy blanket so badly. I wanted to hide… hide from the sadness…"
I gently pushed away her tears with my gloved hand while I fought back my own. So quickly I forget about what Weiss had told me before, the chilling loneliness she had eating way at her. It strained even just thinking about it again.
Around us the snow continued to fall, like millions of pieces of shattered cloud raining upon us and built up atop the ice.
"I wish I could've been there sooner…"
I admitted to her.
"Me too."
The people that previously skated around us had since vacated and the main spotlights that were aimed down at the rink had dimmed into obscurity. None of this was known to us as all that occupied my thoughts was the girl I had my arms around. The girl I wasn't sure I could bear letting go of ever again. I wanted to be her warmth. Her escape from the sorrow.
"Weiss I'm here now. I will always be here, you never have to feel that way anymore."
Leaning into a full hug I pressed the sides of our faces together.
"I'll be your blanket Weiss."
I clutched onto her like she was going to drift away if I so much as loosen my grip.
In my ears echoed with a cacophony of staggered gasps. And the heiress I had in my locked arms begun shaking and heaving.
Without a single word, Weiss cried into my shoulder, the damp heat radiating from my shoulder as Weiss sobbed into me, her brief wails piercing through the flurry of the night. I brought my hand up to the back of her head and ran my fingers through her soaked hair, holding it in was pointless. I allowed my tears to fall alongside hers.
Finally, when the wells had run dry Weiss looked me in the eye.
"I…I…"
With the corners of my lips softly rising I gave her a solid nod and said.
"I love you too Weiss."
I could feel her body heat intensify in front of me. Her body frozen stiff with the exception of her slightly shaky left leg.
"D-Dunce…"
Our lips met in a flare of fiery passion, our legs constantly shaking as we struggled to stay balanced while our feet uncontrollably vibrated in place over the think sheet of ice.
Her warmth was intoxicating. Holding her in a tender embrace, I felt nothing but raw bliss.
*Later*
Our feet crunched with every step on the snow-caked sidewalk. We walked with our arms locked as tightly as we could around each other's.
Suddenly realising we had lost literally all sense of time I sank my free hand into my coat pocket and pulled out my Scroll, Weiss, quickly catching on did the same thing. Both of us had received a hail of calls and messages about two hours ago from pretty much everyone and for about the next half an hour after that they kept coming. It was only after that did they probably realise what was happening and decided to surrender the evening to us.
"Looks like we're going to be a little late."
She said with a small giggle as she kept away her device.
"A little."
Couldn't help but let a small laugh escape my lips too.
A short breeze unexpectedly rolled in, making us both shiver in sync. I very quickly thought of a remedy for that however.
Bringing myself as close as I could to Weiss without hampering our ability to walk I took the slack from my scarf and brought it around Weiss's neck and neatly tying it around her current white one, forming a unique little array of interlocking greys and whites.
Smiling giddily at each other Weiss brought her head to my shoulder and gently nestled in it as we walked back.
"Say…"
Weiss began.
"What's your favourite season?"
I suppose after her sharing session she wanted to know about my own.
"Um… I guess its winter too… or is that no longer your favourite season anymore?"
Shaking her head she snuggled even closer to me.
"It still is."
With a long sigh and a gentle smile she shut her eyes.
"But I think it's for a different reason now."
A.N: Thanks for reading, not too sure whats coming up next but rest assured I have a New Year chapter I'm currently thinking about doing.
Also, you may have noticed I ditched the 'one-shot' in the title that's thanks to some feed back I received from user:SupportTheTeam telling me how it doesn't make a lot of sense and I agree. So from now on I'm sticking to just a numerical index.
Not that big a change I'm sure you guys don't mind.
