Underneath The Surface

by RandomHeroX

Time passed since the fight with Torchwick and the White Fang. With less time fighting, the team members of RWBY are able to concentrate on each other, causing a few members to think twice about what their partners actually mean to themselves. Will they follow through with the feelings they harbor or let opportunity slip between their fingers? Bumblebee and White Rose represented.

36. Ruby: Annuals

I'll make this quick. It's been almost two years since Underneath the Surface was published and we've come a long, long way. Thank you to all who have been here since the beginning and those who joined along the way. It's been surreal to say the least. With my artist, Bakki's, tendonitis, the Bumblebee pic is happening, but very slowly. Maybe a valentine's day type release. Till then, enjoy some White Rose.

Ruby: Annuals

Ruby hit the bed with a thunderous flop as she let the exhaustion take her, spiritless body melding into the sheets. Lethargic groans uttered from the pain subsiding, the leader's mind coming down from the excessive high that she and Weiss put themselves through. Finals were usually a very stressful time for any student, but the heiress was in overdrive with the lackluster grades she was about to receive if she didn't get stellar marks on the final. Ruby wanted to protest, find that voice to tell her girlfriend that a B+ is an acceptable grade and she shouldn't be ashamed if she receives one. When she took her stance, the ice princess stared back at her as if she was speaking in word salad, grabbed her by the wrist, and threw her into a study room.

The quieter woman wanted to stop this self-harming behavior of the brutal study session she's had with her partner, but her grades could use a point higher for perfecting a semester. With seeing her just shy of that achievement, she dove in as hard as Weiss in their notes. Training missions with Grimm were less taxing than what the couple were putting themselves through. In the week prior to the exams, the leader slept less than the time her mom left the cookie jar outside of the locked cabinet. The toddler-at-the-time Ruby climbed her way to a sweet delicious end that wired her till the wee hours of the night.

It wasn't easy or fun, but worth it. Even in her semi-conscious slumber, a wide smile spread across her face, the endorphins of victory surging through her that keeping her from going into a coma as soon as her body relaxed in the bed. "Aced it."

The rare time Ruby would leave an exam this confident in her answers came around in certain subjects. Never for an Oobleck class where the eccentric professor was one to throw in sneaky minutia questions to separate the superior from the great. If Ruby had the energy to get up and celebrate, she would be dancing on the ceiling with her girlfriend in her arms. Wanting the share the revelry, she did wonder where her partner was, Weiss finishing well before anyone in the class having set a new personal record in taking exams.

She waited quietly in her room as the door creaked open, Ruby waiting for the same groaning from Yang or Blake next. She was greeted with a far more soothing scent, a warm richness coming from beyond the tent. The heiress shifted the curtains aside, the leader envious that she seemed less burdened by the week. The gentle smile she wore under the creases in her tired eyes were welcoming, Weiss tousling her hair as her own fatigued way of making merriment. "I hope I didn't wake you from your well-earned nap."

"Nah. I was just resting my eyes. I hope you didn't bring coffee. My body can't be carried more by caffeine. That and I'm sick of the taste with having it every day." Ruby responded, the loathsome burn of the rich texture nauseating at this stage.

"It's tea. Trust me, I'm as sick of coffee as you are. It's mostly sugar, just how you like it." Weiss offered a saucer and cup to her. The grounds of sugar had yet to fully dissolve, the crystals sliding along her tongue, soothing her more than the honey lemon. Weiss took a seat next to her in bed, the leader tugging at the ends of the heiress' jacket, the ice princess catching on to what she was wanting. She laced her fingers with Ruby's, a proud warmth spreading between them. "You're a trooper. Not many people would put up with that kind of academic abuse."

"Not many people inject sugar and caffeine into their system willingly either. I did it for me, but I also did it for you, and for this moment. I really like it when you smile." The weakened leader's sentiment made Weiss turn away and blush. Too embarrassed to look her back in the eyes, the heiress pulled the hood over Ruby's face.

"Do drink your tea. It's supposed to relax you. It may be filled to the brim with sugar, but your body is ready to knock out. I'll be quiet after you finish your cup."

"No. Keep me awake as long as you can. It's four. The last thing I want is to wake up at two in the morning and be wandering around the school wide awake. It'll throw me off when I go back home tomorrow. Which, by the way, I expect you to join me for at least a weekend during the break," Ruby reminded. After the meeting with her dad going over as well as it did, the leader wanted to share even more with Weiss, the first stop being the place she was raised. It may be winter and getting muggy, but the island of Patch was still a swell place to romp about. Maybe if her dad was around, Weiss could get to know him even better.

"I've absolutely been thinking about it, but I still have to go home and do some company procedures. Perhaps even catch up with Winter. The last thing I want to do is interact with my father, but it's a necessary evil at the moment." Weiss took a long sip from her tea, Ruby feeling her hand tense up at the mention of her father. It's been mostly quiet about the Schnee Dust Company, but that's only what Weiss chooses to divulge. If anything, Ruby's content that her presence alone is making a difference. "But maybe I should come with you this weekend at least. It is our anniversary after all."

Ruby was happy to hear the ringing in her ears. Upon preparations for a big event she had in store, it was quickly deflated as soon she realized that the term ended on the very same weekend. The leader tried to keep the spirit alive and worked it out in her head as best she could. But it turned into too much for her to handle once the couple prioritized grades over romance. "You mean our faux-anniversary."

"If you keep saying faux, you keep reminding yourself that we had to pick a date to help you forget about what transpired on that bed the very same day." Weiss pointed over to Yang and Blake's bunk, Ruby's spine chilling as the memory was so traumatically burned into her consciousness. "Not that I'm complaining either. It's a different kind of ilk to me, but as I thought about it, most of our friends sort of picked a date they agreed upon anyways for their anniversaries We just had a reason to to search for a date. I know we weren't together at the time, but our first date was pretty fun."

The leader couldn't have agreed more. It wasn't perfect, but neither were they as they were figuring out their feelings for each other. Ruby did always mentally kick herself for not being more forward on the Ferris Wheel, a kiss at the apex in the sunset be a more perfect thumbnail for their anniversary. Instead, she'd happily settle for Weiss' bravery at the fountain. "That pizza cookie wouldn't be the highlight if you just broke your little rule and kissed me on the first date," Ruby teased, peeking out from under her hood only for the heiress to pull it harder over her face.

"I deserve that. If my head wasn't telling me to flee, I would have. You earned a kiss as well," Weiss finally admitting something she'd been trying to coax out of her for over a year. "I know the exams did get in the way, but I can always pull some Schnee magic and have something arranged for tomorrow night if you really wanted."

Ruby didn't have to see Weiss' expression to know how painful it is to offer such a proposal. She has heard many times over that the ice princess tries to separate herself from money she hasn't directly earned. "No, it's fine. No one says you have to celebrate it on that day. We'll wait till you come over to visit Patch and we'll spend the days together. I promise it'll be better than sleeping against each other at the entrance freezing."

Weiss' fingers curled tightly with hers with her answer, the leader rewarded as the heiress lifted her hood back over her head and planted a loving kiss to her lips. "You keep hyping your home so much, you'll make me reverse homesick. A week will go by pretty quick. Just make certain arrangements to have Yang and Blake out of the house. It's an advantageous time to utilize the karma you built up from being so generous with the room when it was their anniversary," the heiress coyly implying what will transpire behind Ruby's closed doors. After this stressful week, she couldn't think of a better way to release.

"I'll use the underhanded puppy-dog eyes if that's what it takes." Ruby took a large sip from her cup, hoping Blake could help persuade Yang better when the times comes, the leader still not fond of sister asking sister of such private matters, using the girlfriend surrogate to avoid that embarrassing talk.

Ruby lay on her stomach in bed sipping tea, Weiss keeping her awake as long as she could with idle chit-chat. At some point, she knew her words would delude to incessant dribble, but the heiress played along, probably digging up some dirt that she'd sling back at her one day with how delirious her consciousness was. The last thing she remembered was Weiss' sweet voice under the blackness of her lids. Ruby woke up to darkness, her nap a little longer than she wanted with the time midway through dinner. The door slamming brought her from twilight to awake, the leader peeking her head out of the tent to see her girlfriend angrily toss her scroll against the desk.

"How dare he even have the nerve to say that?" she hissed under her breath, bringing her hands to her temples and dug her fingers to attempt to relieve herself of whatever happened.

"We-weiss," the leader's timid voice piped up, the ice princess caught off-guard by the now-alert leader, "did I miss something while I was out?"

"Kind of, but go back to sleep. We'll talk about it more when you're more rested."

"Those forty winks did me good. I'll listen." Ruby pulled away the curtain and sleepily pat the sheets to offer a seat to the heiress. Weiss exhaled deeply before taking a spot on the bed, the leader wondering if she gets to silently take an abusive rant or get to be more proactive with her partner.

"After you went to sleep, I got a call from my father. It was sweeter than most, but I could tell it was Winter that reminded him to contact me in the first place. She was probably in the room for a few minutes, making sure he didn't turn into the spiteful monster he is. After going over the semester, he brought up the banquet that I did with your dad. He couldn't have been more disparaging to my efforts. He goes off first about 'how dare I' use any of his clients and that I should have searched for my own. Then how 'cute' it was that I was trying to forge my first real contact with my girlfriend's father and wondered why Ozpin wasn't interested considering I'm a student at his school. I didn't do this to make him happy, only to earn his respect, but either the fight is too fresh or I'm destined to always be looking on from the outside in. I may never be allowed back into the Schnee fold and what's depressing is that I'm started to feel apathetic about it. Why try and redeem a name and company when I'm no longer welcomed?"

She was sure Weiss wasn't trying to bring her down to feel as bad as she, Ruby empathizing with her girlfriend as she felt the steam rising from her. The leader joined her at the edge of the bed, taking a page from Yang and going off the cuff. "At least he didn't say anything about how bad your plan is to bring new security to the company."

Weiss turned to giver her a glower that the leader hadn't seen in a time, Ruby retreating to her silent comfort zone as she still wasn't as talented a wordsmith as Yang. "I don't know how long I can keep this up, Ruby. I'm very tempted to tank and be an embarrassment to the Schnee name. Be the black sheep he keeps coloring me as and wallow in mediocrity. Yang knows some seedy characters. I'm sure they would be willing to help after I throw some Lien at them."

"I-I think that's going a bit too far. I know your father isn't the easiest to please, but did you honestly think you'd win him over while the project is still being developed?" Ruby insisted.

"I was hoping for a miracle, especially after how well it went," the heiress confided. "It is days like this I wish I was more compliant like Winter. Contrary to popular belief, I don't like having a permanent frown. But it's natural when I think about him or the company."

Ruby saw a perfect solution to Weiss' predicament. She didn't want to dig harder into the pitch, but it was worth a shot to alleviate her girlfriend's gloom. "One, I never want to you to stop being the rebel you are. You wouldn't be my sassy queen if you didn't have that determined spark. Two, if the company has really got you down, the only stores that sell Schnee Dust Company products are on the opposite side of Patch."

The frown smirked at Ruby's proposal, the smile cemented at the heiress quietly pondered the offer. "I had a sudden change of heart and declare that our anniversary should be celebrated on the appropriate day. I'm sure the offer to stay at your house is still available."

"Yeah is it." Ruby didn't hold back her happiness as she tightly wrapped her body around the heiress' "We're going to have so much fun. The weather should be decent enough to go to the beach, and there's a really nice shopping district in the wealthier part of the town, and we can practice on the beach with Crescent Rose and Myternaster. Oh, and then there's this place that..."

The leader's exuberant gushing was quelled with a simple kiss, Weiss figuring out Ruby's vice long ago to make the loquacious leader still with the loving gesture. The heiress pulled away, a desire for Ruby seen just beyond the icy orbs, her thumb circling her round cheek as the leader was being caressed. "And something else that's very pertinent to visiting you."

Fireworks were already being set off at the thought of what the leader had in store for Weiss' first overnight in her bedroom. "I'll promise that you won't be disappointed. Although the bed will probably be the same size and the comforter may have symbols from that 'Dead Fantasy' series I like so much."

Weiss was confused for a second until she caught on to the lewd notions, the heiress giggling as she embarrassingly admitted what she was leaning into. "I was actually talking about taking Zwei out for a walk."

Ruby instantly joined her girlfriend for a laugh, forgetting possibly the one thing in this world that she had a rivalry for Weiss' affection. "I forgot about him a bit. Dad didn't send him for us to play with all semester."

"And don't worry. We've become quite formidable beasts when we're underneath these sheets. So long as we're promised some privacy from your sister and dad, our anniversary will end with a satisfying bang."

Ruby didn't need to be told twice as she immediately brought out her scroll and texted the rest of the team. As she hit the send button a final time, she realized she hadn't seen them since the final. "Weiss, did you see Blake or Yang while I was out?"

"Now that you mention it, no. I texted them a little while back as well and see if they wanted to go off campus to celebrate, but I haven't heard back from them," the ice princess clarified. "Should we be worried?"

"No. Yang's pretty mature despite her actions and Blake is the sharpest vigilante out of us four. My familial love wants to be concerned, but Dad's almost gotten ulcers from days she wasn't around and she handled herself just fine," Ruby insisted, her own logic not enough to clam all of her worry for her sister.

"Perhaps she and Blake are doing what we should be doing, celebrating together." Weiss walked over to the brawler's secret suitcase, the heiress discovering a special find that she didn't anticipate uncovering. "A wonderful year. It may not be chilled, but that's an easy fix." The ice princess said while digging into her own suitcase for a vial of blue dust. With accurate restraint, she channeled the blue dust around the bottle, a thin layer of the icy film coating the exterior. The heiress hid the alcoholic evidence in Ruby's hood as they went down to the cafeteria. It may have not been a five-star restaurant quality, but the girls took a couple bowls of chicken alfredo to-go. Prior to leaving, the leader pocketed a couple of cookies before reclusing to a more private setting of Beacon's castle.

There was a flat terrace that over looked the gardens, Ruby playfully kicking her feet to the cool winter air as she sat on the edge, the food and drink between them as the broken moon was full. "I forgot stems, so this will have to work. Happy anniversary, Ruby," the heiress cheered before taking a more than generous swing of the bottle before handing it over.

"Happy anniversary, Weiss," Ruby matching the zeal, putting down the knowledge she may get tipsy quicker than her taller partner. At the beginning of their relationship, the leader's biggest fear was that she never wanted to bore the ice princess, her excessive talking coming in handy until Weiss had to actually bring it up as a problem. It was like getting shot through the heart with how much pain her words had, but it was the best advice she could've gotten. A year in, the comfortable silence was more of a target when together with Weiss and easier as time went on, the only annoying part was when they were eating, Ruby liking being fed by her partner.

"We're still not past this yet?" the heiress lovingly let out, the hint of annoyance she forces in a transparent facade.

Ruby's mouth was open, awaiting her morsel as she grunted her answer. Weiss gave in, as she always does, and planted the creamy treat in her. "Mmm. The chefs got it right today."

"They did. At least we know where part of the tuition goes to. These ingredients are exceptionally fresh and well prepared."

"It's no five-star restaurant, but..."

"I told you to not beat yourself up about this," the heiress catching on to the self-deprecating barrage she was going to hit herself with. "It may not be as exciting as either of us would have liked, nor as luxurious, and perhaps not as romantic, but I'm having a lot of fun with you." Grey eyes met Weiss', the gaze clear of any falsehood, calming the leader as the next day's events were being rearranged to match the expectations for tonight.

As the meal continued, so did the drinking, the leader either a permanent light-weight or her tolerance is still too low as her cheeks brighten a scarlet hue before her girlfriend's. In her tipsy state, the quiet conversation became more animated as her hands and mouth were attempting to roam the heiress' body. Alcohol brings out the lewd coyishness in the leader, the champagne and her actions wearing down Weiss' resistance to her incomparable charm.

"I'm going to tie you up if you keep these shenanigans up." Weiss threatened, unable to keep up her tough exterior as Ruby's light pecks to the neck had her fighting giggles.

"We could try that." Ruby's inebriated nature perking up her impish thoughts.

"I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but we still haven't heard from your sister or Blake. As easy as it would be to sneakily use the room, the worst case scenario of them two barging in drunkenly and catching us is highly possible," Weiss reasoned, the heiress' words not having their intended effect as Ruby's mood deflated. She couldn't count how many times she was woken from her slumber when the door would barge open, the older couple politely attempting to be quiet, but was deemed unsuccessful with their spirited behavior from that night's events still running high.

Weiss was quick to catch the leader before she fell too much, her lips gently pressing against hers with a hint of tongue happily lifting her spirits. "I got it. I was just thinking that if we couldn't have the date work out, then perhaps skipping to the end would be best. I don't need a glorious plan to have our anniversary love making to be special."

"In the back of my mind, I want to, but I'm actually thrilled for tomorrow. I've never been to Patch," the ice princess said as she cleared up their dishes."I know this isn't as exciting as it should be, but I trust you'll make tomorrow special and that's worth waiting for." Weiss departed, Ruby stunned at the elegance in her constraint to have a perfect anniversary. She remembered that her girlfriend was about perfection, waiting another twenty-four hours to make that happen a small price to pay once they set foot on Patch.

The couple retired to their room soon after, the leader finding her restraints and keeping it to second base. Hands roamed above the soft clothes, the duo agreeing to change into their nightwear when Yang and Blake would come back to the room. When the morning came, Ruby was surprised to see her and Weiss still in their clothes. She let out a large yawn, the leader always finding it hard to have a restful sleep on the field when she had to sleep in her attire. With ships to Patch happening too infrequently, the leader had to bounce Weiss out of bed quick, hastily packing for the trip back home and head down to a station.

It wasn't the ideal way she saw the anniversary starting off, but it was a good way too work up an appetite as they sprinted towards the ship. The leader thanked her lucky stars Weiss was not the typical helpless rich girl, a few more minutes lollygagging around would have cost them half the day. The two watched from the massive windows, the sprawling ocean a majesty in the late morning sun. With how hectic the start was, the leader forgot to make this day about them, the heiress tenderly taking her hand, giving a peck on the cheek before returning to the scene before them. "Today is going to be the best day ever."

The ship ride wasn't long, the couple in a taxi and on the road to the Xiao Long household as soon as they set foot to land. Weiss was all ears as she knew she couldn't stop from Ruby pointing out every little detail about her home island, the leader checking back to make sure the ice princess was having as much fun as she. "Where did you or Yang play when you were younger?"

"Far from here, you know, where we weren't supposed to be. A lot of where we could have fun is in open fields or playgrounds where we could pretend we were the heroes from our stories, me even taking my mom's white cloak and tying it around my neck and pretending I was her sidekick on a team." Like images in a photo book, she recalled all of the many misadventures with Yang. Every scrap, every bruise, and few close calls with Grimm along the perimeter was detailed to Weiss. With everything being a story so far, she was glad that her partner had a picture to frame them with.

The taxi was rounding the last corner to the woody neighborhood, the houses well spaced in comparison to Vale's cramped living. The little log two-story crept up on the side, Ruby's eyes lighting up as the cab came to a stop. The heiress happily paid the driver and the two rolled their luggage to the door. The leader was slightly embarrassed about her dad's upkeep of the house, giving him a pass as he wasn't home as much as he would like either. The lawn was a shaggy healthy green, Taiyang at least keeping the sprinklers on when he was at Signal. The windows were were all shaded in by curtains, the leader wanting to surprise her dad while he was at his desk. Ruby stuffed her hand in the mailbox, the metal box clean for once, optimistic that her father or even Uncle Qrow would be around. As she got up to the rosy door, she searched her pockets, the leader's bouncy mood punctured as the most crucial item to entering a house she didn't have on her.

"Ruby?" the heiress inquiring. "Is something the matter?"

The cheery Weiss she'd pumped up on the ride over was sinking with her, Ruby too embarrassed to admit she dragged her to Patch to start their break by resolving an avoidable crisis. "Uhh... I... just can't find my key ring, is all."

"You mean this one?" the ice princess' tone becoming colder as she quickly deduced what was going on. "The one that only has four keys. My guess that none of which open your front door."

The leader knew she was cornered. "Yang always comes with me back home. Dad only ever had a single spare that used to be Mom's." The guilt of secrets left her only for the gut-wrenching ache of disappointment to replace it as Weiss' fingers pressed the bridge of her nose to center her annoyance. Ruby had to be quick, a couple desperate solutions to calm her girlfriend nervously propelled her forward. "There was no mail, so Dad might actually be home." The leader twitched on the button for the doorbell, hoping, by some miracle, that her father was home. "If not, I'll give him a call. He's got to be somewhere on the island."

There was an audible gasp of air, and, after a moment of awkward silence, a deafening scream.

*-Weiss-*

The door swung open, her eyes shrinking as her attention couldn't be ripped away from the scene in front of her. Yang leaned against the frame, her bushy mane disheveled, concealing her violet eyes behind the sweat-soaked mess. Her body was almost on full display as Blake's night robe clung to the bountiful curves of her girlfriend, the rope loosened enough to have a sleeve sling along her shoulder, revealing the entirety of her cleavage that she propped up with an arm straddling her chest. A crack in the nightwear gave a peek at a lacy purple tanga that the heiress knew was Blake's.

"Oh, thanks for coming so fast, pizza guy," a certain breathiness in her voice as the blonde was unaware of who she mistook a food delivery person for. "Us girls are starve..." Yang bashfully revealed her eyes as she brushed her hair from her face, Weiss astonished that she could ever match her sister's scarlet blush when she was embarrassed as the performance was interrupted. The heiress didn't know whether or not to stay quiet, but she couldn't voluntarily speak as the blonde's eyes darted between her sister and the heiress.

Like a flint and steel, it sparked an explosion. "AHHH!" the Xiao Long siblings screamed. Yang slammed the door quickly, Weiss hearing shouting from beyond the wall as the blonde ordered Blake to get some clothes on. Meanwhile, the heiress had to attend to a traumatically stricken Ruby, the leader's face buried in her hands, seemingly putting pressure to erase the memory of seeing Yang so indecent.

"I didn't see that. No. No. No. So gross." Ruby sat at the single step to the porch, muttering to herself that this was all a dream. Weiss took to her side, knowing a few pats on the shoulder weren't enough, but would have to do.

"I know this isn't as relatable as I would like it to, but Winter always slept in panties and a tank-top. I was forced to see her form every morning and it never got easier." With no response other than a few mumbled grunts into her knees, Weiss took to the more helpful option. "I'll stay quiet until you're ready."

The whining went on for minute or two, Ruby coming up from her knees to formally address her girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Weiss. This is starting off so poorly."

"I'm glad that you're thinking about me, but there's worse ways to start off an anniversary. If there's a silver lining to this, it's we know where the rest of Team RWBY was for the past day." The comforting words only lasted for a moment as Ruby's mind slipped back to the revolting visions and acts that happened with the arrival of a pimply-faced teenager holding two large 'Blake and Yang' specials.

"You girls order two larges with anchovies, mushrooms, and chicken?" the lad read off the receipt.

"Yes." Weiss whirled her wallet out and handed over more Lien needed for the delivery, the heiress shooing away the boy before pepping her girlfriend up for the inevitable. "Come on. Take the pizzas. It's going to be bad, but let's rip this off like bandage."

She reached for Ruby's hand, giving it a couple forceful tugs before she willingly got up. She took a deep breath upon entering. The sight before them was unnerving, the heiress now knowing what the dorm room would look like if rule number twenty-five: clean up thoroughly after using the room for private matters, wasn't in place. The floor was littered with clothing, the ice princess sure that one of Yang's panties were a ripped mess on the way to the kitchen. The counters were a sea of baking products, shot glasses, and bottles, Weiss wondering if these pizzas were also some part of hangover cure with the excess of liquor. Dark markings like veins decorated the walls along with many family portraits and accolades, palm prints of white and brown a giveaway as to what the baking ingredients were used for.

Weiss' body cringed at the scene, guessing correctly that her partner was having a worse time as she sat and collapsed her reddened bloom into her arms. "I'm sorry, Weiss."

"I told you, don't be sorry."

"She's right," a voice came from down the hall, catching the younger couple's attention. Yang was far better dressed upon her second greeting in a very large t-shirt and a pair of what was clearly Ruby's pajama bottoms with the amount of rose petals festooned in the pattern. The bedraggled mess of hair was not managed with the time allotted, the Faunus also sharing the same qualities in her usual nightwear as she sheepishly joined her girlfriend. "I'm sorry."

"We both are. We got your texts just now. We turned our scrolls off after we got out of the final and headed here," Blake explained.

"I'm not trying to make an excuse for this, but you didn't mention coming back home so... forget it," Yang giving up mending the situation with words and gathered both of the women in her massive embrace. "I'm sorry, girls."

Weiss had happened upon the room a few times to catch a whiff of sex which irritated her. Being buried just above Yang's bosom with Ruby's wriggling only pressed her face further into the soft mounds. "I'm fi-ne. I-I also can't breath," the leader's breathes barely getting the sentence out.

"It will be. Just let this happen, and it'll be over quick, and we'll be a team again," Yang remorsefully absolving her grievance with her ridiculous strength.

The younger couple was happy to be free, Weiss begging for a sweeter stench that was the sex-ridden kitchen, a smell she thought she would never crave. "Terrific, we're a team again. I feel so unbridled with joy," the heiress sarcastically let out.

"We're not done yet," Blake chimed in. "If you're staying here too, the house can't look like this. We'll confine it to our bedroom." The Faunus marched over to the opposite side of the island, uncovering a heavily wound plastic wrap of cookies, the heiress noticing Ruby's eyes drooling at the sight. "Your sister wanted to bake some of your mom's recipes with me, and I know it's cheap, but here's a token to make you less mad."

Ruby reached out, taking a suspicious bite of the treat one second and, in the next, devoured another two. "Good work, Yang. You nailed mom's cooking," she mumbled out, crumbs spewing from her mouth adding to the mess.

"That's practice becoming perfection from all the times we baked," Yang winked at her, the leader beaming a smile back.

The ice princess felt left out and, still annoyed, had to voice her irritation. "Ruby's easy to win over. I pull the cookie card every time I need a distraction to give me time to fix whatever I forgot."

"Oh, you're even easier," the blonde's sinister grin worrying her as she pinched the ends of her mouth. A piercing whistle erupted from her, the scream from earlier damaging their eardrums enough to not go deaf from the call. "Oh, Zwei," she sang in a victorious tone. "Come here, boy."

Weiss' fear was realized as she heard the jingling tags coming from the backyard, her cold stare moving toward the doggy door in the back. The gray dog pushed the flap open, this fluffy butt wiggling its way into the home coincided with a few affirmative barks to the one who called her. "Good boy, Zwei." Yang blithey praised the mutt as she ruffled and squished his face, the heiress' eyes glued to the hound as it was being fondled. The blonde scooped up Zwei and handled him over to Weiss, the ice princess reflexively receiving her furry gift as it panted and greeted her with wet kisses.

"Oh stop you..." the heiress nearly smothering the playful mutt as she pressed his face with hers. "Look at you, you fat little boy. You've gotten bigger since I've seen you. Yes you have. Such a cutie patootie."

The snow-haired girl couldn't register any emotion other than overwhelming joy as she was reunited, Ruby finding the sad irony of her reaction. "I wish you were this happy after I come in from the gym," the leader joked. With a hint of sarcasm detected, the heiress fired back.

"You would if you were not only as cute, but also weren't the reason I have to carry tissue around to clean your mouth after you dribble chocolate fudge sauce on you. Don't mind her, Zwei."

"Do mind her actually," Yang piped up. "Ruby, Blake and I have some serious cleaning to do for the final act to our apology. That and Dad said he'll be home later tonight. So, can you take Zwei out for a walk while Blake and I preform a miracle getting this house organized?"

"Not a problem. I'll go grab the leash and frisbee," the leader scampering off to a part of the house Weiss couldn't see. As the heiress was left with the other couple, a guilty presence was still floating around the air.

"I know cleaning isn't the most fun of activities, but you two don't have to be so morose about it," the ice princess sternly pointed out.

The other couple gave a quiet gaze to one another, Yang giving the nod to have Blake proceed. "Weiss, we're not proud of what happened, especially after we damaged yours and Ruby's anniversary gift," the Faunus confessed, pulling out a small frame from the inside of her robe.

"You girls got us something for ours," the blonde added to her girlfriend's explanation. "And we went fairly traditional when I found a picture on my scroll. It was from when we all first became partners. It may be stretching it as I'm sure you girls weren't together at the time, but Blake insisted that this chance of luck was better than rattling our brains trying to buy you something. We're sorry it's broken, but might as well show it to you now and see if we need to go shopping again."

It wasn't the first time that Weiss heard that excuse. What do you buy someone who can literally buy anything? Although it would have been paired with Ruby, she didn't trick herself into thinking Blake and Yang weren't considering her wealth. She took the casing, the polished silver ordained with an etched-in rose in the bottom-left corner. The glass was cracked, the epicenter losing most of its material, but gave a clear view to the focal point of the present.

Ruby had her arm around the heiress, squeezing her too tight around the waist, trapping her arms from protesting the close-quarters affection. Crescent Rose was overhanging from her shoulder, Myrtenaster joining with the length of the leader's weapon touching the rapier's tip. Weiss remembers that moment captured. It had been a few weeks after they brought Blake back into the fold, a small mission for first years was taken to give the girls a break from militias and focus more on Grimm. Both had a toothy grin in the photo, Weiss recalled being pleased with their flying scores, but that wasn't the reason she was happy in the still frame. She could never pinpoint the time she started having feelings for Ruby, mostly because she would dismiss any positively charged reaction for the leader as circumscription. But this moment, when she should be scowling and throwing Ruby off her, she freely smiled. That feeling of happiness that felt awkward then was absolved as it became clear to her now with how effortlessly she makes her feel that enduring impression of bliss. Weiss' eyes blurred, taking a deep breath to compose the delight of discovery.

"No, girls... it's beautiful. The glass may be smashed, but it's our love to a tee, brazen and not perfect, but a lot of love and laughter. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Weiss' emotions nicked the right nerve as a single tear escaped, Zwei happily lapping it up while still cuddled in her arms.

"Aww, Weiss," Yang contagiously catching the same intensity, reflexively caught Weiss in her grasp, wedging Zwei between the two women in her grip.

"I'll just appreciate the gratitude from over here, if that's alright with you," Blake said, the heiress reminded by the muffled bark that the Faunus wasn't too fond of the canine family member yet.

When Yang released her, and blood was allowed to circulate without restriction, Weiss had a proposal. "Take this back and wrap it. Maybe tonight or tomorrow we can all have dinner and you can give it to us then."

"I do know a great seafood place in town that I was planning to take Blake to. I'll expand the reservations if that's cool with you," Yang offered her own plan.

"Yeah. It sounds good," Weiss sobering up before Ruby came running down the hall with a leash and more than just a frisbee in her arms. As soon as the leader mentioned the word 'leash', Zwei was fighting to get out of Weiss' arms, the ice princess reluctantly letting him go lest he destroys her battle skirt. A few quick clicks later, Ruby was dragging Weiss by the hand as Zwei was leading them to venture Patch.

The air was dipping in the mid-afternoon sun, the ocean air just as chilly as the waters near Beacon. Weiss wasn't cold, but she knew Ruby was, swaddling herself as much as she could in her cloak as the leader walked close with the heiress' curves. Weiss has been to her family's private islands, beach houses, and some extraordinary resorts, but there was a certain quaintness to the island that charmed her, partially due to Ruby taking her to her favorite spots, only leading to the park her and Yang used to romp around in.

Weiss got full on the many small shops that served treats on their way to the park, making playing with Zwei a harder task than normal as she was filled to the brim with food. The dog was either too smart for his own good, or Ruby was a dog whisperer, as too many so-called 'accidents' happened on their date. The heiress found it chance that Zwei would lead them into a perfume shop where Ruby would purchase a few of her favorite scents for each of them to wear. Even let the coincidence slide when the well-behaved hound chased an invisible butterfly, wrapping the long leash around both women's legs until they were wound tighter than Oobleck with a couple espressos. Ruby's clumsiness seem to kick in at the right time as she pulled the heiress to the ground, the leader's giggle the clear indicator of this whimsical facade.

The heiress didn't do a quick-take to see if passersby were staring, not when she knew the leader was enjoying this a little too much with her facetiousness. She pecked the leader, laughter hard to control with the felicity flowing through her, the couple smiling into their kisses and teeth bumping into each other with zeal. The world was oblivious to them, Weiss brought out from a small yip from Zwei. In the pups mouth were two white roses, thorns seemingly not a problem as he held them by the prickly stems. The dog's expression coerced her to take them from his slobbery mouth, Weiss dethorning the roses and flicking the remains at her girlfriend, the heiress annoyingly amused by it all.

"And this completes a pattern." Weiss held up her safe flower as a challis of victory. "You can't fool me any longer, Ruby Rose. How did you plan this?"

"You're in my stomping grounds. You think I wouldn't have a cognitive map of my home town, purposely leading you up and down streets of stores I knew you'd like. And Zwei, he's a really good dog. You can train him to do about anything, good habits and bad."

Weiss thought she was the only one who can plan so efficiently on the fly, finding out that there are more resources than money that can forge a date so successful. She trucked Ruby off the grass, not wanting either to change because of grass stains before dinner. She didn't want to give in so easily either. That glint in Ruby's eyes of satisfaction and love shimmering as the ice princess kept her gaze. Not able look into them any longer, she played it coy and kept the leader vying for more affection.

The amount of toys Zwei had the heiress thinking this was a third kid Mr. Xiao Long never had. Ropes, balls, and a remote control airship were some of the items Ruby brought with her. She and Weiss were too far to have an actual conversation without yelling it to the rest of the world, the heiress content with keeping her thoughts to herself with the subject matter. "Why does this feel like we're a family and Zwei is our furry, four-legged child? I like dogs, and am certainly enamored with Zwei, but let's never travel down that path where I start replacing animals for children. Still, this is quite nice. I'll never knock the luxuriousness of my upbringing, but this is Ruby's world and it's refreshing to be a part of."

A vibration came from her scroll, Weiss multi-tasked as she looked at the new message for dinner time with Yang and another bothersome text from her father. The seething hate she had broke her concentration, the frisbee floating for a thump to her face. She collected herself, archiving the message for later to not bring back the scowl. "I don't want to believe that my own family troubles are a force driving me to the Rose camp. I'm done with him puppeteering my life. It'll taint this happiness if his efforts are the reason I'm this blithe."

Much to the actual sad puppy-dog eyes of Zwei, Ruby and Weiss had to call it a day, dinner reservations creeping up on them and a freshening up was in order. When entering the house, the unvarnished sparkle of extensive cleaning was evident, the heiress truly believing she could eat off the floor. A heavy chemical smell of lilac and lemon choked the air, Weiss wondering if Blake and Yang were conscious with how strong it loomed. "Impressive, but one could almost consider this overkill."

Ruby handed over part of her cloak to filter out the actinic stench. "Yang was always one to drain a can of air freshener if needed. At least it's clean."

"You mean completely sterilized," Yang shouted from the hall, her and Blake coming out of their room sporting alternate attire. With how immaculate the house was, she was sure that their clothes took a far lower priority. The two smoothed themselves out, the blonde pressing the wrinkles out of her tan jacket and her partner properly popping the collar on her white shirt. "Got too much experience racing to clean up before Mom and Dad got home with Ruby. You think what you saw was a mess, you never saw the catastrophes when she and I would be chasing each other around the house with food coating our hands."

The girls were running late, Weiss begrudgingly skipping a shower for promptness sake. As Ruby was about to call her dad, the man in question showed up, papers strewn from briefcases that were carelessly closed, the girls grabbing as much as they could as they followed the paper trail back to his den. The room was considerably less intimidating than her father's, a warm wood paneling was underneath them with painted red walls, the bookshelves enriched with text from his academy days and a few that Weiss was familiar with at Beacon. It was a simple office, non-threatening to anyone who'd enter.

The patriarch hunched over his desk, madly organizing his files, oblivious to the team that stood behind him. The leader was the first to break the uncomfortableness spreading through them. "Hey, Dad."

The man quickly turned, a guilty stare formed back at the girls as he tried to play off his inferior containment. "He-hey girls. Thank you for bringing those papers to me. I'm on too tight on time at the moment."

"So we can assume that you won't be joining us for dinner." Yang questioned, Weiss worried as uncertainty in the blonde's voice meant this was not normal behavior. The man collected the papers hurriedly, consolidating them in the briefcase which he securely shut.

"I'm sorry girls, Another time, but I got a last minute call that requires my immediate attention. I'll probably be back late so don't wait up for me," Taiyang said as he rushed out of the room, but not before giving kisses on the forehead to all the girls, Blake and Weiss giving a shrug as this was all unforeseen behavior to them.

"Umm, Ruby. Should we be concerned?" Weiss force breaking the tension.

"By the kiss, yes. He showers us with love when he knows he or one of us is going out on a mission. You got caught in the crossfire because something big got him worried," Ruby explained as she pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve, the heiress impressed by her sly trick from their dad to keep this article. The rest of the girls were curious, hovering over the file. Weiss knew hiding the entire stack of papers would be impossible, but the only mention of a potential catastrophe was The White Fang.

"Without a here or what will happen it's hard to spring into action," Weiss angrily mumbled, re-scanning the file for something she could've missed.

"Then maybe this will help," the blonde added, slipping out her own sheet from her sleeve. When Yang presented it, a chill ran through the ice princess, one of the schematics of Signal's prototype weapons that were stolen on the night of the banquet printed and detailed.

"And maybe this will make sense," Blake chipped in, bringing out her scroll, a warehouse displayed and what were White Fang troops testing out the same weapons that were taken.

Weiss took the temperature around the room, all feeling the same gut-wrenching ulcer of duty calling upon them. Perchance forgetting sharing information for their own reasons. The heiress took a big gulp, knowing the rest of the night wasn't going to be the bang she expected. "There is cruel irony to wish for an exciting anniversary and get called back to my thrilling obligations last minute."