Updated 7/11/19
-101
I know most you will probably skip this, but I wanted to say one last thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed, favorited this story. As my very first venture into an entirely White Rose fic, I'd say that I love this pair so much more after having written this. And Ruby, as well - I totally fell in love with Ruby as Weiss was.
Anyway, here's the last chapter for you - until next time!
Totally forgot to add - there's a tiny nod to Mr. Blender in here, if any of you are also reading his story - A Faunus Born in Spring.
"So...what do you think?"
Ruby finally met Weiss' gaze - the two of them sharing an equivalent expression of disbelief and amazement at what they'd just spent the entire day reading.
Weiss finished reading some time ago, with Yang ending shortly after that. The competitive side of her suspected that Yang had had the privilege of early access to some of the material. Then again, Yang was surprising in many ways...maybe being a quick reader was yet another one.
Over the past half hour, Weiss intently watched Ruby read - sharing in the emotions passing across Ruby's face - her heart racing when that brow furrowed with the frown and lifting when a smile picked up the edges of those lips.
When Ruby grinned, Weiss felt her muscles relax, unraveling the tension she'd been unwittingly holding over the past few hours. Coming into today, she hadn't known what to expect - what emotions and memories would she have to confront? How would she feel after going through everything yet again?
Surprisingly, it was much more...re-livable...than she'd imagined. But not in a bad way. More like a...wow way.
"Well…" Weiss began slowly, turning from Ruby to Blake - who was sitting in one of the chairs across from the two of them. "Technically, it wasn't a park across from the flower shop - it was more like a forest…"
Ruby nodded enthusiastically, immediately catching on to Weiss' little ploy.
"Yeah! And I run all the long distances in track - not those short, wimpy ones."
Blake shook her head at their answers.
"Those are just details! What's most important is the main theme - an heiress," Blake nodded towards Weiss, "falls in love with a peasant -"
"Hey! I'm not a peasant! I'm in college!" Ruby protested.
"College student is basically the same thing as peasant," Yang replied, giving her younger sister a big grin from her seat next to Blake.
"But it makes it sound like I was homeless or something…" Ruby muttered, slumping against the sofa beside Weiss.
"Ruby, you were sleeping on the futon in our living room! You're lucky Blake 'gave' you a room in the story," Yang replied with an easy laugh, tossing the stack of papers onto the coffee table separating them before crossing her legs and reaching over to grab Blake's hand.
"Still -"
"I wish she'd had her own room…" Weiss lamented, putting a quick end to what could easily turn into another long-winded argument between the sisters. "It would've been nice to have some privacy before we found our own place…"
"Hey, I saw way more of you than I ever wanted to see too, Princess," Yang retorted, instantly bringing a blush to Weiss' cheeks from the memories.
In the short time they'd lived together, Weiss learned quite a few valuable lessons. The most important was to always knock on doors before entering, even if they were unlocked. And even then, sometimes it was best to take a second and listen before proceeding.
"Anyway," Blake cut in, silencing them both with a light glare. "It's about an heiress who falls in love with a college student. Many obstacles are placed in their way, but true love prevails against all the odds."
Leaning against the back of the sofa, Weiss could only nod at that last statement and saw Ruby do the same. The obstacles they'd faced felt insurmountable at times, but they'd made it. Weiss gave full credit for their success to Ruby - the brunette's resilience and courage the only reasons why they'd managed to stay together. After all, it was only through Ruby that Weiss found the strength to do what she'd done.
"Should I be worried that the only nice guy in the book has the same name as that dumb guy at the coffee shop who's always flirting with you?" Yang suddenly asked.
Weiss laughed at the question, knowing full well who Yang was referring to. That guy must really get on her nerves...
"Who do you mean?" Blake asked in confusion, having not made the connection yet.
"That guy who keeps putting hearts in the foam on your coffee!" Yang answered, making Blake laugh in understanding.
"But he does the same for you, Yang!"
"That's just to spite me…" Yang grumbled while the three of them laughed at her spike of jealousy.
"But the driver's name was James, right Weiss?"
"Yes, it was James," Weiss confirmed, nodding for good measure to reassure Yang that Blake wasn't trying to pull a fast one on her.
James was the only one in Weiss' life who'd been on her side through everything. She never understood why he held such a soft spot for her when most of her family's employees treated her so indifferently. The only explanation she could think of was that it was because he'd seen her mother slap her that one time…
Either way, he'd helped her in more ways than one - for which she was eternally grateful. She reached out to him after the wedding to thank him for what he'd done. He'd risked his job by letting Ruby into the church, but there'd been no other way for Ruby to get inside, with the doors either locked or manned by guards checking everyone's identification against the official guest list.
"I just remember the look on his face when I set that letter on fire," Yang replied with a wide grin, having already moved on from her envy.
"Burning yourself in the process," Blake teased, causing Yang to blush in embarrassment.
"Yeah...that's why I had to shut the door so quickly!"
"Serves you right," Ruby piped up from beside Weiss. "That letter was for me. If anyone was going to light it on fire, it should've been me!"
When Weiss turned to Ruby with wide eyes, she immediately backpedaled.
"I mean - not that I would have! I would've read it, of course!"
Shaking her head and smiling, Weiss reached over and pulled Ruby closer. If Yang and Blake weren't around, Weiss would've pulled Ruby right into her lap, but they had company, so...
"I'm going to change the names," Blake continued, bringing Weiss' wandering mind back to the conversation at hand. "But I left them so that it wouldn't be confusing for you to read."
"Nooooo, don't change Weiss' name!" Ruby immediately wailed. "It was one of the first things I fell in love with! Like 'oh, who's this beautiful, sexy girl with the beautiful, sexy name?' You can't change it - I love her name!"
"Do you now?"
The question was facetious, as Weiss already knew just how much Ruby loved her name. Ruby never missed an opportunity to say it - sometimes calling Weiss from another room just to say it out loud. And there was nothing more adorable than the little song Ruby had made up, composed entirely of her name.
'Weiss, Weisss...Weiss. Weiss Weiss Weiss...'
It always put a smile on her face when she caught Ruby singing it around their home.
"I can't leave them the same," Blake explained, gesturing towards Weiss. "Everyone knows who Weiss is."
Agreeing with that statement, Weiss nodded to Ruby - silently saying that other names were needed to maintain their privacy.
"Oh! Then can my name be 'Anna?'" Ruby asked, readily giving up her hopeless crusade.
After considering the suggestion for a second, Blake shook her head.
"I already know an Anna - it would be weird to give your character the same name."
"Aww...dang - I like that name!" Ruby said, turning towards Weiss with an adorable pout. She patted Ruby's knee reassuringly, knowing that their entire night would be spent bouncing around ideas for names Blake could use for their characters.
"If you can think of another one, I'll use that -"
"Can my name stay the same?" Yang interrupted. "I don't think anyone knows me."
Blake sighed at the request.
"Sure, your name can stay the same."
Grinning at the answer, Yang turned and stuck out her tongue at Ruby.
"Heyyyy, why doesn't she have to change her name, but we have to change ours?" Ruby complained, falling into her sister's trap.
"Because it's my story and that's what I've decided!" Blake replied in exasperation.
"Well, technically...it's our story…" Weiss pointed out while gesturing between herself and Ruby, earning another sigh from Blake.
When Blake first approached her to ask permission to write their story, Weiss had been extremely hesitant. She wasn't sure that she wanted to have that information immortalized in print form, where everyone and anyone was free to read it.
After reading what Blake had created - in just a few months, too - Weiss was glad that she and Ruby had agreed. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, and inspiring all at the same time.
"Do you want everyone to know that these characters are you two? Because then I can write a biography - if you're honest about everything that happened."
Receiving a pointed look from Blake, Weiss looked at Ruby - the two of them sharing a silent conversation about that option. From what she'd just read, the two of them had left out just a few stories for the sake of not humiliating themselves - thankfully, the same ones. Like the time Weiss instructed one of the chauffeurs to take a hike while she and Ruby spent some...quality time...together in the parking lot of The Vale Baker after hours...
"No, I guess not…" Ruby mumbled while Weiss shook her head, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks that hopefully no one would notice.
"You did capture my mother's character very well," she added to change the subject - the praise bringing a smile to Blake's face.
The day of the wedding had been months ago, yet Weiss' mother had made no effort to contact her - which was just as well. One day, maybe she would reach out and see if they could salvage some semblance of a cordial relationship, but that was going to be a very, very long time from now.
And maybe, in her own peculiar way, the woman's silence was...well, not approval, but...acceptance of some kind. Acceptance of what Weiss had done and where it had taken all of them.
At least, she could hope for as much.
"And you got Cardin right - that douche bag…" Ruby muttered from beside her. Reaching over, Weiss patted Ruby's knee again and gave her a reassuring smile.
Understandably, Ruby flipped out when Weiss recounted what Cardin had done. She'd never seen Ruby that upset before - and likely never would again.
They'd gone together to return the ring - which, thankfully, they found in the backseat of Yang's car after much searching. And Cardin was just fine. He was actually much nicer than Weiss had expected him to be. Thankfully, his parents had placed all of the blame for what happened upon her and her family - allowing him to escape their ire entirely.
He'd even expressed a small amount of gratitude for what Weiss had done, because she'd unwittingly extended his time to do whatever he wanted. As an added 'bonus,' apparently being left at the altar had given him an immense boost to his 'game' - something about playing the sympathy card and having girls all over him...
For once, Weiss was able to listen to him with far more amusement and revulsion than irritation, knowing that in a few minutes, she would leave with Ruby and likely never see him again.
Of course, when he had the nerve to request a kiss goodbye, Ruby had threatened to stab him with a butter knife...
"Oh, but hey, how come your character was hardly in the story?" Ruby inquired.
"Because the story was between you two and Yang as the protective older sister - I didn't play a very big part in your relationship at all," Blake responded easily - the answer having clearly been thought of in advance.
"A role I played to perfection," Yang replied with a smirk.
Weiss shared a smile with Yang - clearly remembering the conversation the two of them had shortly after the wedding. Never before had so much bodily harm been threatened upon her - which she'd readily granted permission to occur if she ever hurt Ruby again. She might have even signed something to that effect.
"But what about that time Weiss and I walked in on you two 'doing it' on the kitchen table?" Ruby continued, oh so innocently.
When Yang burst into laughter, Blake flushed a deep red.
"Not relevant to the story…" she mumbled, slapping one hand against Yang's shoulder to quiet her.
"Oh, I think it was probably pretty relevant!" Yang responded. "How else would Weiss have known she wanted to do the same with Ruby?"
Weiss' jaw dropped at the comment - her cheeks heating considerably - but she managed to force a scowl in the face of Yang's grin.
"That was not what I was thinking."
"Weiss, you could hardly look at me without blushing for the next two days," Ruby said, giggling when Weiss gave her a look of utter betrayal.
"I - I was sunburned!" Weiss sputtered, trying to save as much dignity as possible.
"In the middle of winter?" Blake asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I have very delicate skin."
While they laughed, Weiss pretended to sulk, but she didn't feel victimized in the slightest by the way they teased her. More than anything, it made her feel...included. This was her family now, which meant she got teased more often than not.
But she fit in her share of playful jokes in return.
"By the way, I think there's a bit of author bias," Weiss began with a grin, the comment putting an immediate halt to Blake's laughter. "All of the scenes between Yang and I make it seem like I'd sleep with her if Ruby weren't around."
Blake's eyes widened in surprise, but Yang instantly sat forward in her chair, clasping both hands in front of her in excitement.
"Are you saying you wouldn't?"
Weiss scoffed, but quickly realized she might've overstepped her means with this tease.
"No, I would not."
"Come on, Weiss," Yang goaded her. "No need to play coy. Imagine an alternate universe - no Blake, no Ruby...you're saying we wouldn't get together just once?"
Yang was leaning close now, charm oozing from every pore in her body while stupidly-pretty lilac eyes sparkled with excitement. God, she could turn on the appeal when she wanted to. Weiss didn't understand how Blake ever said 'no' when Yang wanted something from her. Maybe Blake just never said 'no'…
Weiss was lucky Ruby only inherited a small portion of that ability. Otherwise, she'd be in trouble. Although, come to think of it, when was the last time she'd told Ruby 'no?'
"I like the book version of you better," Weiss replied, leaning away from Yang while Ruby's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.
"I do too!" Ruby agreed, nestling her chin comfortably on Weiss' shoulder.
"And if you want to imagine a world without me in it, that can certainly be arranged," Blake added, trying to appear unhappy but failing miserably.
"Oh come onnnn guys!" Yang wailed, pouting for a split second before a mischievous grin slowly appeared.
"Well, at least story-Blake wasn't such a high schooler. 'I think Weiss likes Ruby.' 'I think they like each other.' 'Do you think they like each other?'"
Yang laughed at her impersonation of Blake while her girlfriend blushed profusely.
"I was not that bad."
"Oh yeah you were. You hardly stopped talking about it!"
"Well...it was like watching a love story unfold right in front of my eyes!" Blake finally replied in defense of herself, raising her hands in distress. "How many people get to experience that firsthand?"
"Uh...what about our love story?" Yang replied, pointing a finger towards herself.
"Please, we have literally the easiest relationship ever. There's never any drama," Blake answered, causing Yang's jaw to drop in surprise.
"What? Well sorryyyyy about that. Should I start some drama or something? Spice things up? I could start flirting with that girl downstairs who always looks at me weird when we're picking up the mail."
Yang sent a subtle wink towards Weiss and Ruby, clearly having no intention of following through on that plan.
"Do that, and I'll have her evicted for that horrible lizard she's keeping against the rules," Blake answered, the vehement response making Yang burst out laughing.
"But...would that be enough drama for you?" she prodded, a little too seriously.
Rolling her eyes, Blake reached over and gave Yang's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Let's just stick to Ruby and Weiss' drama, for now."
"Hey! We don't have drama anymore!" Ruby whined, but Blake gave them a disbelieving look.
"Please, Weiss is a magnet for it - what with her father still trying to get her to take his place and -"
"She told him to take a hike!"
"I told him...that I would think about it," Weiss corrected, although she liked Ruby's version much better. "And I still don't know what I'll do. Do I want to work with my father? Or do I want to do something on my own? I don't know yet -"
"But you don't have to decide anytime soon," Ruby quickly added, patting Weiss' hand lovingly.
Weiss smiled as Ruby's unwavering support for her once again shone through. There were no words to describe how comforting it was to have someone on her side, no matter what. She hoped that she could provide the same level of support for Ruby, if it was ever needed.
"Right," Weiss said, taking Ruby's hand in her own. "Because - as Yang so eloquently put it - I'm 'still loaded.'"
"I said - 'loaded as a hot potato,'" Yang reminded her helpfully.
"You'll do it," Ruby added confidently. "You'll be good at it! Plus, you could do some great things being in charge of that company."
Giving a soft "hmm" and squeezing Ruby's hand, Weiss knew that Ruby was probably right. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to make her parents sweat over it a little bit. Plus, if she agreed, it would be on her terms. She was willing to learn from her father, but she wasn't willing to become him.
Thankfully, with each passing day she felt that side of her fading away - replaced by the sugar-infused sweetness Ruby kept pumping into her life. She felt stronger. She knew what she wanted from life. She had her own dreams and wishes, and the freedom to pursue them.
So yes, maybe she would take over, after all. But it would be with her vision - her goals. And she knew she would have Ruby's support the entire way.
"Hey, how did you come up with the vows, Blake?" Yang asked, drawing Weiss' eyes away from Ruby's loving pools of silver at the sudden question. "Cuz those were great - I loved 'em."
Blake's eyes flitted in Weiss' direction before she began to answer.
"Oh, you know, I just kind of…"
"I gave them to her," Weiss cut in, not wanting Blake to lie for her sake. The admission caused both Ruby and Yang to look at her in surprise, forcing a blush onto her cheeks.
"Those were my vows..." Weiss explained in a whisper. "I still had the paper I wrote them on."
Several seconds of silence passed before Ruby finally said something.
"Aww!" she gushed, giving Weiss a quick hug and kiss that only intensified her blush. "That's so cute. I need to reread them!"
When Ruby picked up the stack of pages, Weiss grabbed them from her hand before they could be opened.
"You should've read them closely the first time!" she said, hiding the unbound book behind her back while Ruby pouted at her.
"But I was so excited for what was coming next; I flew right by them!" Ruby whined, sticking out her lower lip while Blake and Yang chuckled at the antics. Smiling, Weiss leaned over and kissed Ruby on the cheek, lingering just long enough to take a deep breath of the girl's rose-scented shampoo.
She understood what Ruby meant. That part of the story had been particularly challenging to read and relive. She'd also skimmed past it - looking forward to what came next, outside the church walls - their reunitement.
Ruby could reread the vows later, or Weiss could recite them to her - by now, knowing the words by heart. Better yet, Weiss could write an entire story about how much she loved Ruby - which Ruby could read freely. There were no secrets between the two of them now, especially when it came to how they felt about one another - they'd gone through too much uncertainty to allow that continue.
"Well, dang," Yang huffed in disappointment. "I thought Blake wrote them for me!"
"Why would she write vows for you and have Weiss say them?" Ruby asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion.
"Because she's sneaky like that!"
"There are hidden messages for you, Yang, if you can find them," Blake replied, a mischievous glint in her amber eyes.
"Wh - really? Where? What were they?"
Blake and Ruby laughed while Yang sputtered in disbelief.
Leaning forward, Weiss set the stack of pages she'd just read on the table separating them, letting the edge drop against the surface with a satisfying thump of finality.
"I love it."
"Yeah, I do too, Blake. It's really awesome," Ruby immediately agreed, squeezing Weiss' hand once more.
"Next bestselling author, right here!" Yang shouted, raising her arms and pointing both hands down towards her girlfriend.
Blake, meanwhile, blushed at their endorsement of her work.
"Thanks, you guys…I'm glad you love it. You're the stars, after all."
Weiss and Ruby looked at each other - with Ruby wearing a huge grin on her face. Suddenly, an idea popped into those silver eyes - something Weiss had just recently learned how to identify.
"Oh, I really loved all the kissing scenes - especially the first one!" Ruby replied, making a kissy face at Weiss and leaning over as if she might steal one. When Weiss playfully pushed Ruby's face away, Ruby laughed and held onto Weiss' hand.
"Yes, those were...intense…"
At the memory of what she'd just read, Weiss felt her cheeks grow warmer. She'd glossed over their first kiss, but Ruby must've given Blake the full details - or, more likely, Yang had pulled the information out of the girl somehow. Because that had been very, very close to what happened - and what it actually felt like.
And Weiss would know - she still remembered that moment vividly. No matter how many kisses they'd shared since then, that particular one never faded away. She even found herself dreaming about it now and again - which she would die before admitting to Ruby. She could only imagine the teasing that would follow that confession…
Glancing at Ruby, Weiss suddenly wondered what other private moments had been spilled to Yang. For some reason, Weiss was still embarrassed by what Yang might know about her, but she really shouldn't be. Like Yang said, they'd seen more than enough of each other in...compromising positions...while they'd lived in the same space.
And a couple of times after that.
"I liked all the parts I was in!" Yang piped in, and Weiss rolled her eyes at the obvious statement.
"Why don't you just ask Blake to write a book about you guys?" she suggested for the one-millionth time. Yang had been particularly jealous the last few months while her girlfriend worked on Weiss and Ruby's story.
"I told you, she won't do it!"
"I would do it," Blake corrected. "But I would tone it down. A lot. And then you'd complain."
"Why fight the fire?" Yang immediately wailed, proving Blake's point.
"Why write about fire when you can start one?"
Weiss flushed at the way Blake lowered her voice and practically purred the question - the two girls continuing to toe the line on what was and was not socially acceptable to say in front of one's younger sister. But the words had their intended effect, instantly ceasing any and all complaints from Yang - likely for good.
"And now I have something to read Weiss when she gets all old and forgets who I am!" Ruby added with a grin.
"Please, you're the one who's going to use it like an encyclopedia," Yang replied, leaning forward once again to make fun of her little sister. "Weiss is gonna to be like 'remember when…' and you're gonna pull out a little pocket version to look up what she's talking about."
"Will not!" Ruby shot back. "You're the one with the bad memory - you would've forgotten Blake's birthday if I hadn't reminded you!"
As soon as the words slipped out, Ruby clasped a hand over her mouth while Yang glared at her for spilling a...really not that terrible...secret.
But Blake turned slowly in her chair towards her girlfriend, who was doing her best to appear innocent.
"What's that now?"
With a soft chuckle, Weiss sat back and listened while the three began to tease each other mercilessly - knowing that she would be pulled into the fray eventually.
It was still surreal to her - having these people in her life. People to tease, to care, for, to love - who felt the same way for her in return. And it was unconditional - the way they loved her. Whether she was running some goliath company or spending all day at home baking cookies for Ruby…it made little difference to them.
They just wanted her to be happy.
And she loved them even more for that.
Turning her gaze back to Ruby, she found the brunette laughing while making fun of her older sister - her face lighting up with the very same smile that had captivated Weiss from the second they'd first met, silver eyes sparkling with unbridled happiness.
Just half a year ago, she never could've imagined that this could be her life - one without butlers, limousines, or mansions, but one filled with joy, friendship, love...all made possible by the goofy, fun-loving girl sitting beside her.
Ruby Rose...
The one Weiss had stumbled into by sheer chance on that cold, winter day. The one who'd stolen her heart by showing her what love could truly mean.
The one who'd refused to let her blindly follow the path she'd thought was set in stone. The one she would give up everything for.
And, as the small diamond ring tucked safely in her pocket constantly reminded her, the one she would marry.
The story Blake had written may have ended...but their happily ever after had just begun.
