Hello, here's chapter 17. Hope you folks enjoy it. Takes place the next day after last chapter, so on a Monday.
I do not own RWBY and make no monetary gain from this. Writing is for entertainment purposes only.
Picking strawberries, as Ruby rediscovered each year, was a lot more of a laborious task than she remembered it. For all her strength and agility - not to mention the training she'd done at Beacon - repeatedly bending her back like this hurt and was exhausting. Sitting on her haunches alleviated some of the strain, but if she sat like that for too long she would just invite more discomfort. The sweltering sun above didn't make things easier either. She adjusted the baseball cap on her head and felt how beads of sweat clung to her hairline.
Weiss and her was in the middle of a row of strawberry plants out on a field next to the home of Taiyang's friend, Mr. Fencer. For several hundred feet in each direction, all Ruby could spot was deep-red, ripe and delicious strawberries. Beyond that, wheat fields and scattered trees dotted the landscape before the trees grew closer together and more plentiful, forming the edge of a large forest.
After rinsing a particular juicy-looking strawberry with her water bottle and popping it in her mouth, she dropped another few of the delicious treats into the small bucket she was holding, taking in the soothing scent of soil mixed with the sweet fragrance of the berries. Only a few more to pick and then they could go back home.
Her mouth watered when she thought about the strawberry cake they would make later today, and the chocolate-dipped strawberries they could munch on over the new few days. And the strawberries they would freeze for later. And the ones she would eat when they got home. There were so many possibilities it was hard to not be excited! She'd already eaten quite a few, but a bowl's worth would later be wolfed down easily, especially when they were sloshing around in a mix of milk, cream and sugar.
I bet Weiss hasn't tried that. Maybe I can even feed her? That's so much fun!
Their plan to make the strawberry cake today, and not at a later date as originally planned, had been a spur of the moment idea over breakfast voiced by Weiss to show her appreciation for being allowed to stay on such a short notice, and then it had snowballed from there into Yang promising to teach them how to bake as well as how to cook. It had turned out that everyone else was various degrees of useless at making even a fairly easy dish or pastry. From today on, any meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, would thus turn into a team activity - a prospect that had Ruby excited for a number of reasons, something which wouldn't have been the case a year ago.
Part of the newfound motivation had to do with Weiss of course, but Ruby also figured it would be fun if everyone helped out. Besides, it wasn't often she could do something for her dad, so she had to take the chance when it practically landed in her lap.
Since it was a Monday, Taiyang had left early for work at Signal and wouldn't be expecting to come home to a done dinner and dessert, especially since he'd talked about cooking himself today and hadn't asked Yang to prepare anything, like she'd done for the past two days.
Ruby giggled to herself. He's going to be so surprised
Strawberry cake was one of Taiyang's favorite desserts too, something they prepared a few times every summer. was a nice tradition to have going.
Ruby had come to the realization that she'd taken him for granted for so long, which only doubled her resolve. Since learning more about how Weiss' father had treated his own daughter, how lucky she had been to get such a wonderful dad had occupied her thoughts any number of times. Every time she thought about it, gratitude rose to the surface in her mind. With the cake and dinner later, she now had a way to do something for him - and that was only the start of it! Cleaning up her room properly was another item on the agenda, as was even more hugs. She'd even let him ruffle her hair and stand extra still - even if she would still playfully protest.
Their discussion that morning has also led Ruby to decide to ask her dad to teach her a few tricks in the kitchen, something she was sure he would appreciate. He'd tried to get her interested a few times before but had been met with lackluster enthusiasm or indifference.
She regretted that now. It couldn't have been easy for him to go from having two daughters at home to being alone, and with how much she would be away for the next few years, Ruby felt a strong need in her to spend more time with him than she had done previously. The time they had together, now that it was so limited, became all the more precious.
Thankfully, Dad's doing fine even when we're not home. I was worried since both Yang and I left at the same time, but it seems like he spends more time with friends, and Zwei is good company too.
That was a weight that had lifted from her shoulders when she got back home, although she hadn't been overly worried while she was at Beacon. They frequently sent messages to each other, or sometimes called, and she was pretty good at reading his mood. Seeing him in person and hearing him talking about what he was up to each week had just confirmed everything was fine.
Having reassured herself, she pivoted her mind back to the previous topic while picking another strawberry. Acquiring new skills in the kitchen besides eating, if eating could be even be considered a skill, was something that Ruby personally felt was growing increasingly urgent with a cute girlfriend to spoil. Not that it had been anyone else's fault than her own; when she was younger, she'd only enjoyed the eating part of baking and had grown accustomed to nagging on Yang or Taiyang until they relented into baking or cooking her what she wanted.
I was a spoiled brat when I wanted to, wasn't I? I should've learned the basics a lot sooner and helped out.
The memory of having to ask Yang for help when she had planned the picnic date for Weiss at Beacon came to mind. She could still vividly recall the feeling of being so inept in this area that she couldn't prepare a simple meal for her girlfriend. It hadn't been pleasant, and ever since then it had been in the back of her mind to ask her sister to teach her from scratch when the opportunity presented itself. As great as Beacon was though, trying to seriously learn how to cook was a logistical nightmare thanks to the airships necessary to travel to Vale City and buy ingredients. That was why Ren's pancakes, or waffles, were frequently made - besides being delicious of course: they didn't require a tonne of different stuff to buy and prepare.
"How many more do we need?" Weiss asked, sitting down on her haunches to free another few of the precious red berries from their only source of sustenance, placing them delicately in her own bucket.
Weiss was wearing a black t-shirt and beige shorts that reached just down to her knees. She looked amazing in the casual outfit, and the way the warm rays of the sun made her free-flowing hair nearly glow complemented the look and made Ruby's breath catch in her throat. Tearing her eyes away from Weiss was a difficult task, as she discovered on a daily basis.
She's so beautiful, and she looks so hot in those clothes!
Next to Wess, Zwei wandered around aimlessly and occasionally rubbed himself against her whenever he wanted a back rub or a scratch behind his ears. Her girlfriend happily obliged on each occasion, giggling and cooing at him, sometimes calling him cute names. Zwei had taken note of that, happily seeking Weiss' attention before anyone else's.
Just as Ruby was about to reply to Weiss' question, it happened again. Zwei waddled up to Weiss and pushed his nose against her leg. Immediately, her girlfriend began to scratch him behind his ears, letting out a musical little squeal of delight at the way his little tail wagged furiously, seemingly forgetting that she'd asked a question in the first place.
Ruby felt a competitive streak grow in her at the sight of Weiss patting Zwei and making those cute cooing noises. She wanted, as unreasonable and dumb as she knew it sounded, that Weiss showed her as much affection in that moment.
That feeling spurred her into an action that until just a few weeks ago had been unthinkable. Ruby wanted Weiss to look at her, and she knew of a way to achieve was really glad they were alone on the field, otherwise this would've been impossible. Her face burned and her heart beat so rapidly she could hear it.
She stood up and positioned herself with her back towards Weiss. "Weiss, I think..." she began in a loud voice to catch her girlfriend's attention. Then she waited.
When she heard the shuffling of clothes and slight crunch of the soil that indicated Weiss had turned around to face her, she bent down, legs straight, heart hammering in her chest, and eyes firmly locked on the strawberry plant in front of her. "... that if we fill these buckets there should be enough. We need to have around two gallons in total, so just a few more minutes and we're done."
Ruby carefully picked the deep red berries, making sure to take her time and to give Weiss a good show by bending down a lot further than what was strictly necessary. The black shorts she was wearing only reached halfway down her thighs and was pretty form-fitting, a fact she was utilizing to the fullest. She could practically feel Weiss' eyes roam over her, which made her feel warm all over her body. It was a very pleasant feeling.
"W-What will the owner do with the rest?" Weiss stammered out, and Ruby reveled in the sense of victory her girlfriend's flustered and shaky voice brought. No doubt her thoughts were in disarray.
"Mr. Fencer? He'll sell most of them at the market we visited yesterday, and the rest are bought by the grocery store or any of the cafes." Ruby made sure to keep her voice as neutral and unfazed as she could, like she wasn't trying to seduce her girlfriend. It was a difficult task.
Not content yet, she sat down and crawled forward on all fours, making sure to put a little sway in it, grabbing a few more berries. What she was doing felt deliciously sinful, like she was more alive when she had Weiss' eyes on her. Her breathing was growing heavier and she had to resist an urge to rub her thighs together. Ruby hadn't joked when she told Weiss at their library date that she enjoyed her girlfriend looking at her, but she hadn't said exactly how much, and it didn't appear like Weiss had figured it out yet.
And that's probably going to stay as secret for a while yet. Later, when we're both ready, I wouldn't mind exploring this a bit more. Looks like I have another way to seduce Weiss!
"We should try the strawberry milkshakes at this place I know. They're delicious. Right, Weiss?" she said out loud. The last syllables came out in a deliberate drawl and she waited with bated breath.
The silence behind her said more than words ever could.
Quick as lightning, she turned her head around and caught Weiss' slightly starry-eyed look. Zwei sat forgotten next to her. Their eyes met, impish silver making contact with shy blue. Ruby broke out in a wide grin and Weiss' face turned bright red, the girl averting her gaze, prompting Ruby to laugh as she stood up again. This was so much fun, and an embarrassed and flustered Weiss was ridiculously cute, making her want to pounce on her right then and there. The flashes of desire she had briefly seen in her girlfriend's eyes only made it better.
"Do you like what you see?" she asked slyly, enjoying how Weiss glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, a slight scowl on her features over having been led around by the nose. Ruby was just one step shy of doing a little victory jig on the spot.
"Yes… yes I do. Don't let the praise get to your head too much, dolt." Weiss flashed her an embarrassed smile and then wiped her forehead, sweat glistening as she looked up at the sun. She didn't handle heat too well. "I'm going to need a shower later after this. I'm very hot."
All it took was a second for Weiss to recognize her gaffe, making her go another shade of red. She bored her eyes into Ruby, daring her to continue that train of thought.
"Want me to join you?" Ruby joked and thus sidestepping the challenge, taking delight in how every word seemed to fluster her girlfriend more and more. A broad grin began to spread over her face. Being flirty had quickly turned into one of her favorite pastimes at Beacon, and now that Weiss was happy again, she could pick up where she had left off.
"Dolt, I meant because it's sunny today! And we can't shower together!" Weiss exclaimed quickly, averting her eyes again.
Ruby didn't fail to notice how Weiss hadn't expressed a dislike for the suggestion - just that they couldn't. That was important information to store away for later, whenever the time was right to use it.
Instead, she switched the conversation to something else. "I offered you the cap. It would've helped a little bit to cool you. There's still time."
"No, you're sweaty. Keep it." Weiss looked quite adamant in her decision, prompting Ruby to let out another laugh. Of course Weiss wouldn't want it now. For being a girl who cared a lot about appearances and hygiene, Weiss didn't look the part now that she was sweating and had dirt on her knees, and yet some things didn't change.
"At least drink some more water so you don't get a headache from dehydration," Ruby suggested.
Weiss nodded and Ruby handed her the water bottle instead, which her girlfriend gratefully accepted, tilting her head upwards and swallowing several generous gulps of water.
In that moment, she discovered something else about Weiss that she found incredibly attractive. The way her throat moved when she drank eagerly, the way the sweat glistened on her, and the path a single drop of water took from the corner of her mouth to down below the t-shirt and the cleavage it was hiding... The contrast between Weiss' normal grace and her warm and winded appearance was hot. Greedily, Ruby drank it all in and committed it to memory.
"Thank you. I was parched." Weiss gave her back the water bottle, and Ruby took a gulp to alleviate her dry throat, trying to disregard the desire that radiated throughout her to kiss the smooth flesh of Weiss' throat and neck, and to gently nibble on it enough so it left a mark there. Something about hickeys was just incredibly attractive to Ruby.
"Yeah, you're pretty hot today." Ruby winked at her.
Weiss only rolled her eyes at the overt flirting.
With her own thirst quenched, they resumed their work. Luckily, they were almost done and it took them only a few more minutes to fill up their buckets.
With full buckets, they walked together across the field hand in hand, with Zwei running ahead of them. Ruby glanced at their laced together fingers, taking in every single little sensory detail she could: from the slight dampness of sweat on Weiss' palm, to the fine grains of dirt, or the sticky remains of strawberry juices. Most of all though, she revelled in simply being able to hold her girlfriend's hand whenever she wanted, or hug or kiss her whenever she felt the desire for it. It was a magical feeling, and she was so glad she got to experience it.
It also warranted a display of affection. "Weiss?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
The moment Weiss turned around, she found herself occupied as Ruby's lips met her own for a brief kiss. Ruby's half-lidded eyes took note of how quickly Weiss' eyes slammed shut to fully enjoy the moment, before she closed her own a heartbeat later.
However, this time she pulled away after only a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, she saw to her great delight how Weiss craned her neck for a moment to seek out her lips, only to open her eyes and shoot her a disappointed look. Her mouth was close to a pout, her eyebrows furrowed together every so cutely over it ending so quickly.
"Love you, Weiss."
"Same, Ruby," Weiss replied gently, moving in once for a quick peck before they continued walking, fingers intertwined once again.
What Weiss had done for her yesterday wasn't something Ruby had expected; she had thought it would take time more time - months at least, before Weiss was comfortable enough for any public displays of affection. So when Weiss had taken her hand and told her she didn't want to hide while they were here, Ruby had been floored from the shock and love she felt. For Weiss, it had been big step forward and Ruby had a similar feeling. It had brought them closer together, and she never wanted this newfound joy to stop. Being open with their relationship like this felt amazing.
After a short walk back to the shed on the yard of the, for the moment empty, white house with black timber frames that belonged to her dad's friend with family, they carefully poured the berries into a wooden crate they had placed in a large fiber bag they would have to carry between them.
While Weiss rinsed the buckets with a garden hose, Ruby stepped up to the mailbox and scribbled down a quick thank you note and left it along with some lien Yang had given her as payment. Taiyang's friend didn't mind them taking them for free, but they still paid each year to not come across as ungrateful. She looked over at a newly built chicken coop and chuckled at how silly the chickens were as they whimsically went this way and that, pecking at the ground seemingly at random. Ruby was fairly sure plenty of eggs and at least one of those birds would end up on the dinner table in the future. Her mouth began to water.
Ruby looked over at Weiss again, who was in the process of rinsing the last bucket clean. She loved her girlfriend so much that sometimes she didn't know what to do. So much so that it hurt, but in a good way.
As she walked towards Weiss, her eyes drifted downwards, sending her thoughts in a slightly less noble direction. Weiss was bending forward to not splash water on herself as she rinsed the last bucket, allowing Ruby to take in the sight of her girlfriend's slender legs and perfect rear.
I'm such a pervert, aren't I?
The admission always made her feel slightly foolish and silly, but she could live with that. She knew Weiss had gone out of her way a number of times to tease her. With how intimate they had become, looking was more than okay at this point, and that knowledge kept any potential guilt at bay. Besides, Weiss liked to look too.
She had to conceal a giggle when she thought back to just a few minutes ago and Weiss' flustered state.
"I'm done. Shall we go?" Weiss asked and put the last bucket back.
"Yeah. We have everything… except, where's Zwei?" She looked around but her dog was nowhere to be found. "Zwei, where are you?" Ruby shouted. She sighed, wondering what he was up to now. He was adorable, but the desire he had to explore everywhere could be very inconvenient at times.
A sudden cacophony of alarmed squawks came from behind them. Oh no. She twisted around and saw Zwei bounding across the large yard, barking happily and scaring the chickens in their coop when he ran past. Weiss giggled and Ruby put her hand over her face in exasperation. "He always does that. Scaring other animals is one of his favorite pastimes. Zwei, bad dog!"
Zwei skidded to a halt in front of her and whined pathetically. Weiss looked like she wanted to bend down and pet him, but Ruby knew she needed to act stern. "Bad dog, don't scare the chickens. You know you can't."
He looked at her with pleading eyes and she realized it was a futile task, letting out a heavy sigh. "Alright, let's do something else to keep you happy and occupied. Weiss, grab the tennis ball in the bag; we can play fetch while we walk back."
Weiss' eyes lit up at the suggestion, and Ruby once more found herself with mixed feelings over how the little pup could make her girlfriend so adorable. It was just… not even she had been able to do that. And Weiss liked to spend a lot of time with Zwei when he was in the same room, making her feel neglected.
You're not being very mature now or acting like a team leader should, Ruby Rose. Stop being silly.
Ruby recognized it for what it was: jealousy. It made her feel incredibly foolish. Jealous because of her girlfriend paying attention to her own dog!
Weiss playing with Zwei was an incredibly adorable sight, but a very complicated concoction of emotions rose up within her at the same time. Still, Ruby kept her thoughts private since she realized it was an unreasonable desire and smiled at Weiss, motioning for her to throw the ball. Because, before everything else, she wanted Weiss to be happy.
"Go, Zwei!" Weiss shouted eagerly and threw the ball as hard as she could in the general direction of the dirt path that would take them back home. Zwei rushed off immediately, yipping happily and Weiss laughed and bounced a little on the spot.
While Zwei was busy chasing after the ball, they grabbed one handle each of the large bag and began carrying it between them. Even if two gallons of strawberries didn't weigh that much, the weight distribution would've made it cumbersome to carry it any other way, so Ruby was glad she wasn't doing this alone.
"Do you think Yang and Blake are back from their shopping trip yet? I wonder if they can get everything we need. It's not going to be much of a cake otherwise," Weiss asked with some worry as they exited the yard and started along the dirt road towards the forest where home was.
"They should be soon, and you don't have to worry about that; the island is well-stocked with food. We have emergency shelters and storehouses underneath the town too, in case of ...well, an emergency! I've been down there once."
"How was it?" Weiss asked.
"Pretty claustrophobic. It works in a pinch, but spending any more than day there would be pretty terrible." Ruby shuddered at the memory, then focused back on her girlfriend's real concern. "The cake will turn out fine, Weiss, and dad will love it, I know that. I look forward to making it a whole lot."
"Yes, I look forward to it too. I'm just worried we'll do something wrong, but Yang will supervise, so it shouldn't be that difficult, right? Before coming here, I didn't know she was so skilled." Weiss voice took on an hopeful tone when she remembered who would help them out.
Ruby just smiled at her girlfriend's light fretting; it was cute. "It'll be fine, and it sounded pretty easy. I wish I had learned a lot more though. I barely know how to make a sandwich."
She caught how one of Weiss' eyebrows rose in skepticism. "Not even cookies?"
Ruby grimaced. "Well, yeah, I can make those, but they don't look particularly good. Nothing does, really. Whatever Yang or Dad taught me would go in one ear and out the other. Eating was the only part I enjoyed."
Weiss laughed, then her expression shifted to slight embarrassment. "I wouldn't mind tasting them anyway."
A happy bark heralded Zwei's return from one of the fields before Ruby could stammer out a bashful reply. Something about that particular choice of words just made her want to jump with joy and a surge of motivation swept over her. One day, she decided, she would make cookies she could proudly show off to Weiss without any assistance from Yang.
Zwei dropped the ball on the ground in front of Weiss and looked up imploringly at her, his stubby little tail wagging furiously. Ruby felt a bit miffed at how quickly he'd turned his back on her. Since Weiss paid him more attention, he was cozening up to her all the time now. Still, the sight in front of her would turn hilarious in a few seconds and she eagerly waited for Weiss to discover just why.
Her girlfriend picked up the ball again, and Ruby began to laugh when Weiss finally noticed how he'd drooled over the item. She frowned cutely, her face scrunching up in displeasure, prompting Ruby to only laughed all the harder.
"Shush, it's not funny," Weiss scolded indignantly.
"No, Weiss, it is. It's really funny. How else was he going to pick it up? With his tail?" Weiss glared at her and Ruby relented after catching her breath. "Throw the ball again; you can wash your hand when we're home."
With a mild expression of disgust, Weiss did as instructed, throwing it into the treeline they were now pretty close to. Zwei ran off in pursuit immediately.
"I hadn't thought about that part of a game of fetch," her girlfriend grumbled, frowning at her left hand.
"You really are a princess," Ruby jabbed humorously.
The scowl turned on her, but the fierceness of it dissipated with every second, and after a few moments of eye contact a resigned smile spread over Weiss' features. "And you really are a dolt, even if it's my dolt."
And I love that.
Ruby just grinned at her.
"Can you make anything else?" Weiss asked, giving her hand one last, forlorn glance as they began walking again.
Ruby nodded. "I tried a sponge cake on my own once, but it didn't turn out well, so I kinda gave up and left the rest to Yang. I guess I can cook pasta and fry sausages if I have to..."
Weiss snickered. "Your pout must've been precious when the sponge cake failed."
"Yeah, I was pretty upset at whoever wrote that cookbook," Ruby joked. She to this day recalled the look of resignation on her Dad's face when he walked into the kitchen and saw the mess she'd made in the process. "I usually sat in the kitchen while Yang and dad baked or made dinner, but like I said, I wasn't interested in anything besides the finished product so my only task was to lick the spoon clean or test the soup or sauce."
"At least you have some experience. I've never baked or cooked a single thing in my life. The most I can make is a simple sandwich," Weiss admitted and blushed from the embarrassment.
Ruby did a double take, not quite believing her own ears. "Nothing at all?" Her heart sunk in her chest, though she was quick to prevent it from showing as to not dredge up any bad memories; it was another thing Weiss had never got to experience as a kid. She shouldn't have been surprised, but it still hurt to see how much her girlfriend has missed out on. It only gave her all the more reason to work hard so the cake became a success.
"I never really liked sweets until just recently, so as far as dessert goes it never happened," Weiss explained. "And, well, dinners were prepared by a chef who didn't like children running around in the kitchen. I'm sure my father wouldn't have allowed it either. I remember Sebastian asking me if I wanted to help him out a few times, though I declined." Weiss looked slightly wistful over her decision.
Oh… that's not as bad as I thought. Still bad, but sure could've been worse!
"So what did you eat when you felt in the mood for snacks?" Ruby asked, now genuinely curious over what other alternatives existed for a young child. At the moment, the dirt road reached the edge of the forest and Ruby let out a small content sigh from escaping the warm sun, mirroring Weiss.
"Carrots or cucumber slices with paprika dip," Weiss answered with an anticipative expression, clearly waiting for a reaction.
Ruby made a disgusted noise, shuddering at the thought. Weiss began to laugh heartily, enough so that she had to set down the bag.
"You poor, poor, girl. I'm glad I've shown you the error of your ways," Ruby said in mock horror.
"It's not bad, actually. You should try it out sometime," Weiss replied once she had caught her breath.
Ruby made an uncommitted noise. It probably wasn't bad, but compared to sugary treats? There was just no way carrots would win that fight. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try it… one day.
"Though I sometimes had a bit of chocolate or ice cream," Weiss continued, before her tone shifted completely, growing serious. "I'm glad I met you, Ruby."
Before Ruby knew what happened, Weiss stepped so close they were just inches apart. Her face had a look of anticipation.
Ruby instantly recognized what Weiss wanted. She sidestepped the bag and leaned. As the familiar sense of elation mixed with a few butterflies in her stomach filled her, Ruby looped her arms around Weiss' waist, and felt how Weiss stroked her arm softly with her clean hand. Ruby was sure she would never get enough of the feeling of holding Weiss in her arms. She smiled into the kiss, noting each little detail of Weiss' lips that nobody else knew of.
They kissed again. And once more. The familiar lavender fragrance Weiss liked filled her nostrils, sending a wave of pleasure through her veins. Slowly but surely their lips moved against each other, just like they had when they woke up together that morning. The cute little noises Weiss made was music to her ears. They hit that sweet spot for Ruby, somewhere between need and contentment.
Sadly, Zwei rushing back towards them and barking excitedly interrupted their moment all too soon and they broke apart.
It was a shame the kiss ended, but Ruby consoled herself with the knowledge that there'd be plenty of opportunities. She loved to kiss her girlfriend, after all. It was a way to show affection, it was intimate, it made her happy and excited and just a little bit nervous from anticipation, but also because it felt… right, on a very instinctive level, to do so. It made Weiss feel closer to her, and she was sure Weiss felt the same, judging by how often their lips would meet on any given day.
Ruby was really glad kissing wasn't something that had grown boring yet, something she had feared could happen. To prevent that, she'd adopted the mindset of never stop 'dating' Weiss, and not being content with settling into a familiar rhythm. Keeping it exciting and adding flair to the day was something she had figured was very important to keep the passion between two people alive. Like she had said to Jaune a while ago, love was like a garden. One would have to tend to it carefully for it to grow.
Weiss reached down and, donning the same reluctant expression, picked up the ball and threw it again, this time at a 10 o'clock angle. It sailed down a slope and Zwei rushed off in pursuit immediately. Weiss' frown immediately turned into a giggle, her eyes eagerly following Zwei as he jumped over fallen logs and branches.
"I look forward to learning something new, actually." Weiss said after a few moments of silence as they carried the bag between them again. "It's needed since we'll take on missions next semester, and one day… I want to be able to bake and cook for our dates. It doesn't feel quite right otherwise." Her voice turned bashful and she looked down into the ground.
Ruby's face felt very warm all of sudden, mirroring Weiss' ears that nearly glowed. "I-I look forward to it," she managed to stammer out shyly. How could Weiss be so perfect and so bashful and cute at just the right moments!? How had she managed to snag such a fantastic girl? Love welled up in her, and all she wanted to do was to throw her arms around Weiss and squeeze her as hard as she could.
"Then today's a start for the both of us," Weiss added, a smile stretching at her lips as she recovered.
"Yep! I realized yesterday I'm not helping out around the house as much as I should either. Dad and Yang always took care of that and let me mostly do whatever I wanted, which in hindsight maybe wasn't the best. So I want to show him that I'm more responsible than I used to be and learning to bake, cook, and help out with meals feels like a good start."
"I know he'll appreciate it," Weiss affirmed. "For me, it'll be a good way to carry my weight while I'm here and pick up a new skill. And... it felt nice when we washed dishes this morning and the day before." Weiss met her eyes and Ruby could see shyness reflected in those brilliant blue orbs, noting how her cheeks turned progressively redder. "Like... we were a family."
Ruby blushed to the tip of her ears. "I-I was thinking the same…"
It made her really happy to hear her girlfriend say she felt the same way, validating her own hopes as not overly optimistic and idealistic.
I hope that'll be our reality one day... It'd be nice to be able to spend everyday together. And Weiss would look so beautiful in a wedding gown!
All she wanted to do in that moment was to pull Weiss into a crushing hug, but carrying the bag prevented that. Though, she realized that perhaps that would have to wait, as the bashfulness rapidly caught up to her. She met Weiss' eyes and could do all of sudden do nothing else besides look away shyly, mirroring her girlfriend perfectly.
Just daydreaming about that far into the future and imaging Weiss dressed like that made her want to curl up and simultaneously leap around and shout with joy. Had she worn her cloak in that moment, she was pretty sure she would've tried to pull it up over her head to hide from the world. Hence, taking a few moments to compose herself seemed like a good idea.
Ruby was very glad Weiss wasn't able to read her mind. They were young, their relationship was young, and there was a long path to walk before they could even begin to talk about that, though Ruby could say with confidence that so far, she had no intentions of doing anything other than working hard to make this work between them. Weiss was the first person she'd ever felt attracted to, and she didn't intend for what they had to slip out of her hands.
She knew that realistically, most relationships didn't last, but she couldn't help but to be inspired by the perfect ending in the stories her dad read to her as a kid, and wish to emulate those. A happy, long life together with the person she loved seemed wonderful - filling a deep-rooted desire in her that had just recently blossomed. It was funny in a way, because up until a few months ago she hadn't even known she wanted this so badly. All she had wanted to do was then was to become an awesome huntress, slay Grimm and help people. Now though, that desire - while still very important - did no longer feel like the top priority in her life.
That's probably a good thing, like I've found more of a balance in my life.
That didn't mean it'd be a bed of roses. There were still worries she had over her own adequacy, over Jacques Schnee, over what would happen in the future… the situation between Weiss and her father had deteriorated further, and the results of it were still unknown. Early on, Ruby had harbored a sliver of hope that those two could somehow turn over a leaf with enough convincing, but now that felt like a forlorn hope. She'd learned much about him since then, and his plans of marrying her away was the last straw.
Still, with no immediate worries on the horizon, she felt increasingly optimistic.
A lot had changed since summers past, where she'd hogged much of Yang's free time or spent her days alone exploring Patch or learning about weapons design, reading books and comics in the library, playing with Zwei, or collecting achievements in video games. It hadn't been bad, even if she hadn't enjoyed the feelings of loneliness and envy when her classmates had spent time together. She preferred to not think about it too much, since the present was a lot better.
And it's really the best break I've ever had! My girlfriend's here, and I have friends to hang out with for the first time in I don't even know how long. I'm so glad I decided to take Ozpin's invitation to Beacon. My entire life is so awesome compared to before!
In her heart, she just knew her worries would work themselves out somehow, like they always did. Weiss was happy too, her reassurance yesterday that she really was fine considering the circumstances going a long way. Having Weiss in her bed every night from now also helped, and so did the prospect of waking up in the morning and greet each other with cuddles and kisses.
I'll let Weiss be the big spoon today, even if I think that's the best role. Holding her in my arms like that throughout the night was amazing.
Suddenly, they came to an abrupt stop the moment they heard a cacophony of barks and a protracted screech from further into the forest.
"What was that?!" Weiss asked with some alarm.
"Zwei. I just don't know what h-"
Ruby was cut short when Zwei jumped out from behind a bush and ran towards them.
"No, Zwei! Bad, bad, dog!" she shouted in vain.
Stopping just before he collided with their legs, Zwei proceeded to deposit the dead rabbit in front of Weiss, looking up at her with imploring eyes that longed for praise.
I hope it was enjoyable! Not too much happened here that's super important in the grand scheme of things, except Ruby getting a chance to organize a lot of things in her mind.
And I know Ruby appears proficient with baking and cooking from the RWBY: Chibi, but for the sake of the story she'll be pretty limited at this point.
Reviews are appreciated, no matter how long or short they are.
