Hey guys, extra long chapter to compensate for the shorter previous chapter.
And a trigger warning, this chapter deals with physical violence, transphobia, and a brief mention of conversion therapy.
I don't own RWBY
Weiss trudged through the snow, right behind Yang. December had finally come, and with it, the hectic snowfall she had always loved as a child.
She still loved the beauty of the snow, but she couldn't deny, it's beauty had smudged once she had seen how terrifying the weather and elements were to those not fortunate enough to have adequate shelter. She winced at the thought of what would be happening to her right now if she had still been homeless. Four inches of snow on the ground, and temperatures well below freezing.
"Hey, Weiss," Yang said. "Cocoa?"
"Yes, please," Weiss said, as Yang handed her her thermos. Weiss took in a swig of the molten heat-in-a-cup, and handed it back to Yang.
"I'm really glad you're not living out here," Ruby said. Weiss nodded.
"I was just thinking the same. Unfortunately, there are still probably hundreds of people that are," she said. "I wish I could help them."
"You're a teenager," Yang said. "Once you're on your feet and financially stable, though, I bet you'd be able to do amazing things to help out the less fortunate here."
"I'd like that," Weiss said.
They stepped forward, onto school grounds. They sped up, rushing into the warmth of the building, and hurried to the cafeteria, Weiss particularly eager.
Turning into the room, Weiss spotted Blake talking to Neon and Nora.
"Eager much?" Yang smirked. "You clearly missed her."
"Shut up," Weiss scolded, hurrying to the table.
"Weiss," Blake smiled, looking up at her. "I'm glad you're in a better situation now, but I really miss you at the bus stop."
"I could always get up early and walk there," Weiss offered.
"Absolutely not!" Blake said. "You're not walking through the cold and dark just to get a few extra minutes with me!"
It'd be worth it, Weiss thought to herself. She was interrupted by a familiar voice arguing. She looked up to see Henry, walking with someone that looked relatively similar to him, except slightly taller, and with a more laid back outfit.
"Look, Sam," Henry said. "You don't know them. They're obnoxious, and embarrassing."
"You still won't say how," Sam said. "I've heard that Weiss and Neon are great friends."
"Would you stop calling him that? His name's Warren. Don't play his stupid game," Henry said. "Transferring can be rough, and it's my job to show my cousin around. I've been here for quite a while, Sam, you gotta trust me on this stuff."
"I think I can figure it out on my own, if it's all the same to you," Sam retorted. Henry folded his arms.
"Sam, me and my friends practically run the place. We're the students that are actually going somewhere after all of this. Would you really rather hang out with a bunch of-"
"A bunch of what?" Sam interrupted.
"A bunch of degenerates," Henry said. "Honestly, it's harsh, but it's the truth. They're unstable."
"Just because they're not 'elite' like you," Sam began, using air quotes to enunciate the word elite. "Doesn't mean they're unstable. Like I said, I'll figure it out on my own."
Sam walked away from Henry, who watched Sam walk away, bewildered. He eventually turned to continue striding towards the Malachite twins.
Practically her whole table had stopped to watch the development. Sam walked towards them, taking a seat next to them.
"Is it alright if I sit here?" Sam asked.
"Of course," Neon said. "So... Henry's cousin?"
"Yeah," Sam said. "Sam Marigold."
"You seem significantly kinder than Henry," Weiss said. Sam grimaced.
"I never liked him. My parents just hoped that we'd be 'best buds' and maybe he could help show me around," Sam said. "But honestly, he's kind of a prick."
"Did Henry ever tell you why he dislikes me?" Weiss asked.
"Never anything that made sense. Usually just really messed up discriminatory stuff."
"Sounds like him. Before I came out as trans, I was his friend," Weiss said.
"Let me guess, once you did, he wanted nothing to do with you?" Sam asked.
"Well," Weiss said. "I knew how he felt about the whole situation, so before I came out I severed ties."
"Can't blame you," Sam said. "Anyways, I just transferred here from northern Idaho, and I was wanting to make friends more... progressive... than my cousin. I heard you all are really inclusive, so I was hoping I could hang out with you?"
"I don't see why not," Weiss said.
"Thank you," Sam said. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. If I did, please, continue."
"Oh, you're fine," Nora smiled. "Weiss and Blake have just been getting all sappy."
"I have not," Weiss protested, fighting back a blush.
"Sappy? Are the two of you a couple?" Sam asked, head cocked.
"No!" Weiss said. "We're friends, that's all."
"This happens a lot," Ruby said.
"Hmph," Weiss huffed. "Anyways, Neon, I had a few questions for you."
"Alright," Neon said, leaning forward. "Fire away."
"I'm wanting to progress in my transition. Father may be a danger looming ahead threatening to stop my transition in its tracks, but until he wins, I'm not stopping my progress. So, I wanted your input. What steps do I need to take? I'm still pretty rough on this whole thing," Weiss said.
"Well, most like to start out with HRT once they're comfortable presenting as themselves," Neon said. "You have to be 18, though. In some places, you can be 16. I think in Idaho, you can do it as young as 18 if you have parental consent and two different doctor's notes."
"Two different ones?" Yang asked, puzzled.
"Yes, from two different doctors," Neon said.
"That's garbage!" Yang said. "Why?"
"Gatekeeping at its finest," Sam said. "Any way the state can restrict transgender rights, they'll leap onto it."
"Exactly," Blake said. "I'm glad you're... more sensitive to this topic than your cousin."
"Well, even if I could get the doctor's notes, I don't have a legal guardian other than Jacques and Willow. Jacques would never agree, and Willow probably can't even understand what the word means. So, HRT isn't an option currently," Weiss sighed.
"There's also vocal therapy," Neon said. "And that's not as gatekept. It's just a bit pricey."
"How would I go about starting that?" Weiss asked.
"You'd have to get in touch with one. Normally, that's a pretty difficult process, but luckily for you, I happen to have a recommendation. I'll see if I can get in touch with my old vocal therapist," Neon said. Weiss' eyes went wide.
"That would mean a lot to me, Neon," Weiss said.
"She's amazing. Saffron was able to help me get my voice exactly where I wanted it," Neon said.
"Wait, Saffron," Blake said. "I've heard her name before."
"Saffron Arc?" Neon asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Wait," Blake asked. "Jaune's sister?"
"That makes sense, the family resemblance is definitely there," Neon said. "Anyways, other steps I'd recommend you take, for one, never underestimate what a manicure can do for your mental health. And if you're looking for one that's affordable, Neo doesn't charge much and she knows what she's doing. Next, I'd normally recommend getting your hair styled, but it looks like you already had that done, and it looks great on you. If you want some hair extensions, I'm your girl. Last, question, do you shave?"
"As much as I can," Weiss said. "I don't really have time for my legs, but-"
"Well, say goodbye to shaving. Waxing is much better, if you can take the pain," Neon said. "And if you ever want any help with makeup, you know where to find me! Aside from that, surgery and legal name change are the other big steps in transitioning, but honestly they're both absurdly expensive, you'd have to be at least 18, and even so, they're almost impossible to obtain in Idaho."
Weiss looked down, disappointed.
"I figured as much," Weiss said. "I just hoped I was wrong."
"Let's focus on what you can do, though," Neon said. "See Neo about a manicure. And hair extensions, interested?"
"Actually... yes, I would. I had pictures of what I wanted for my hair, but it was in my phone before father took it," Weiss said. "So, I'll do my best to explain."
"No problem, just come by my place and I'll help get you sorted out," Neon said.
"How much will I owe you?" Weiss asked.
"A colossal total of zero dollars and zero cents," Neon smiled.
"You'd do my hair for free?" Weiss asked. "But don't hair extensions cost money?"
"A little, yeah," Neon said. "And for most, I'd charge. But for one of my sisters, just like with makeup, I'll help you be yourself for free."
"Sisters?" Weiss asked, confused.
"Yeah," Neon said.
"Her sisters in the trans community," Nora clarified. "She's been helping out trans women with their hair for a few years now."
"That's... really generous of you," Weiss said. "I really appreciate that."
"Besides, I'm training to be a hair and makeup artist," Neon said. "So, for you, I'll just consider it to be practice."
The bell rang overhead, and Weiss stood, readying herself for another long series of classes.
"Your makeup looks really good," Blake said as she walked with Weiss to the lockers.
"Thank you," Weiss blushed, glad the makeup covered her emotions.
"So," Yang said, as the two of them walked into the mall. "I'll show you how to get clocked in, and help you get everything down."
Weiss nodded.
"These uniforms really aren't cute," Weiss pouted, somewhat jokingly.
"You're not wrong there," Yang said. Weiss smiled, glad that at this point she had gathered enough resources to be able to still enjoy her look, even if she had to wear a uniform. Neon had helped her to get her hair back to how she liked it, with a long ponytail hanging down. Her makeup, again thanks to Neon teaching her, helped to smooth out her features. And Neo had recently done her nails, so Weiss had short press ons, with a baby blue coat over them. "If it helps, you're cute enough to easily balance out the uniform."
"Thank you," Weiss smiled.
The two of them walked up to the Jamba station, where another familiar face was already taking orders.
"How's it been, Fox?" Yang asked, stepping behind the counter to Coco and Velvet's friend.
"Calm today," Fox said.
"Fox is one of our best," Yang said. "He was my first hire once I became assistant manager."
"Wait, you're assistant manager?" Weiss asked.
"Yup," Yang said. "Which means I can give you my full attention for training. Unfortunately, today sounds a bit slow."
"Isn't that better for a learning environment?" Weiss asked.
"It means you won't get much practice," Yang said.
"Yang's the kind of teacher that would throw you into the water to teach you to swim," Fox smiled. Yang nodded.
"Anyway, let's get started on the basics," Yang said.
"Hey, blondie," Mercury said, stepping up to the counter. Yang smiled from the other side of the counter.
"Hey, Merc," Yang said.
"Just grabbing drinks for Emerald and I," he said. "Quick break."
He listed off his order, and Weiss got started on it.
"How's Hot Topic going?" Yang asked.
"As slow as everywhere else's been today. It's kinda nice," he said.
"Here," Weiss said, bringing up the drinks.
"Hey, Weiss," Mercury nodded.
"Hello," Weiss smiled back. Mercury grabbed the drinks and started heading back up the stairs to Hot Topic.
"And, that's just about time to clock out," Yang said. "Make sure your space is tidied up first."
Weiss nodded.
"Thank you, Yang," Weiss said. "I really appreciate your help."
"Anytime. And, Weiss, ready for the best part?" Yang asked.
"Alright," Weiss said, confused.
"The money you get from this, it's yours. It belongs to you and you alone," Yang said. "And you earned it yourself."
"To be honest, that is an amazing feeling. I've lived long enough having things just handed to me. Being able to be proud of my progress and know that I earned this, that's a great feeling," Weiss said.
"Now, I know I said you owed me gas for that trip down to see Winter, but just once, I'll let you off the hook. You've got something more important to spend that money on," Yang said. "Don't think I forgot about what we talked about a few nights ago. Coffee house, Blake?"
"I'd like to do all of that, but it doesn't mean that's something I can do currently," Weiss said. "I need to focus on myself right now."
They stepped up to Yang's car and piled in.
"Okay, if you actually want to focus on yourself, then by all means, go ahead. But I get the feeling that's not why you're waiting."
"What ever do you mean?" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"You're scared. You said so yourself. And don't think I haven't seen how flustered you get around her. You don't want specifically to work on yourself. You're just terrified to take this step," Yang said, giving her that almost motherly stare.
"I am not!" Weiss said.
"Really?" Yang asked. "Well, if right now you'd rather focus on yourself, then tell me something. If you close your eyes, and picture your ideal future, three months from now, what do you see?"
Weiss sighed, and closed her eyes. She thought to herself, three months.
"Well, I'd have my voice trained pretty well," Weiss said.
"Okay, fair enough. What else?" Yang asked.
"I'm starting to study fashion more actively," Weiss said.
"It seems like you're dodging around a central detail," Yang said.
Shut up, Yang, Weiss thought to herself. True, she did picture herself with a voice that fit her, and she also saw a table with several fashion related books on top of it. And sitting at the table, there was Weiss. But she wasn't flipping through books. She was sitting right next to Blake, holding her hand as the two of them talked about whatever had happened that day. And then she leaned in, resting her head on Blake's comforting shoulder-
"That's all," Weiss said.
"Yeah?" Yang asked. "You promise?"
Yang looked her directly in the eyes as Weiss opened hers.
"I-" Weiss stammered.
"So there is something else," Yang said. "Well, don't be shy."
"Okay, fine! Blake and I are together in that picture, too. But that's not going to happen. I'd rather focus on what I can actually get somewhere with. Vocal therapy, that I can do. Studying, that I can do," Weiss said.
"Yeah, I bet you wanna study," Yang said. "Study Blake-"
"Shush!" Weiss hissed.
"Alright, fine. But, if you don't open up to her, odds are she's going to end up finding someone who will open up to her," Yang said. "I've seen a lot of friends too shy to admit their feelings for someone they feel for. And it ends the same way, every time."
Yang turned on the car, pulling out of the parking lot.
"I do want her to find someone else," Weiss said. "Like I said, she wouldn't want me. And I don't know what I'm doing, anyway. I've never been in a relationship before."
"And Blake's not exactly an expert on it either," Yang said. "It's not like piloting a fighter jet, Weiss. You'll make mistakes, and so will she, but you'll work through them. Would you really rather see Blake end up with someone else?"
"As a matter of fact, I would! It would be better for her," Weiss said.
"You'd rather see Blake smiling with some girl, laughing with her, holding hands, and occasionally, making out at lunch?" Yang asked. Weiss cringed, her heart twinging at the thought of being helpless to watch Blake be happy with someone else.
"If it makes her happy, then yes, I'd rather see that," Weiss said. "Can we please drop it, Yang? It's not going to happen. Ever."
"You're an awful liar, Weiss," Yang said.
"Okay, maybe it'd hurt. Maybe I'd be jealous. Maybe it's all I want to be the one she ends up happy with. But I won't, Yang! There are so many reasons why she would never be happy with me," Weiss said.
"Really?" Yang asked. "Name five."
"Okay, done. One, she wants a real woman, not one like me. Two, she hates my family company. I'll always be a reminder of that. Three, I will always be drama because my father will never leave me alone. I will always be fighting that battle with him. Four, she could have anyone in the world! She'd be miserable settling for me. And five, her parents would never want her to end up with someone like me!" Weiss said.
"Wow," Yang said. "Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong."
"What?" Weiss scoffed.
"You are a real woman, Weiss. I know you've dealt with transphobia all of your life. And I'm so sorry that you have. The more I pay attention, the more I see how much of a number it did on your self esteem. You've internalized so much hate and loathing, haven't you?" Yang asked. She looked over, having stopped at a red light.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Weiss said.
"I don't?" Yang asked. "Alright. Is Neon a real woman?"
"What?" Weiss asked, anger almost immediately rising to her face, Yang's comment triggering a defensive response toward her friend. "How could you even ask that? Of course she is!"
"And what makes you any less of a real woman than her? She's trans, just like you," Yang said.
"It's different," Weiss asked.
"How?" Yang asked.
Weiss opened her mouth, trying to list out her objections, but no reasons came to her mind. After several seconds, Yang looked ahead again as the light turned green, and they once again drove on.
"Yeah, my point exactly," Yang said. "Blake doesn't see you as a man. I know I don't see you as a man. You're just convinced you're a lie because your father, Henry, Melanie, Miltia, even Winter, even if it wasn't intentional, they all taught you that if you weren't what society sees as normal, there's something wrong with you. And you already proved that you only see yourself this way, you don't see other trans people this way. After all, do you think Mercury's a girl?"
"Of course not," Weiss sighed.
"You're just like them," Yang said. "And I'd be willing to bet they have some pretty heavy doubts in their mind, just like you do. You saw Mercury's dad. You and him have a bit in common. You really think Mercury doesn't worry that maybe he's making it up?"
"That's different-"
"No, it isn't! I'm sorry, Weiss. I'm sorry, because you should've been shown the love and compassion growing up that you deserved, but you weren't, and it's made some deep scars. But those scars don't define you. You are a real woman. And out of everyone in our group, you're the only one that ever doubts that. Now, two. Your family company has a bad record, I won't lie. But give Blake some credit. She knows you don't agree with those decisions. She's not stupid. Three, you're surrounded by drama, but regardless of if you're Blake's friend, or girlfriend, I know she'll be there to fight every battle with you. So if you think that just because you're hiding your feelings, you'll somehow spare her, you don't understand Blake's conviction. Four, I know for a fact she would never see you as someone to 'settle' for. If she decides she wants to be with you, that's her choice and she gets to make it. And five, I've met her parents, and they don't seem the type to me to hate you for your gender identity. And if they do end up being that judgmental, then fuck them! And I know Blake would be just as angry if her parents were transphobic."
Weiss looked down.
"Yang, you don't understand," Weiss said.
"Yes, I do. You don't have logical reasons to think Blake would be better off without you. Your self esteem is severely wounded and because of that, you don't think you're worth it, so you think you deserve to be alone. You'll always deprive yourself of happiness if you stay in that trap," Yang said. "But you know who does see what you're worth?"
"Blake?" Weiss sighed, guessing her next words.
"I hope so, but that's not where I was going with this. I see what you're worth, Weiss. And that's why I won't have any of this. You're my friend, at this point a damn close one, too. I won't let you just sit here and sabotage yourself. You want to take that step with Blake, and I can see it in your eyes, all the time. But you're letting your fear, and worse, your self hatred, control you."
"Yang, I can't. Please just let it go," Weiss said.
Yang sighed, frustrated.
"Fine," she said. "Just do yourself a favor, and realize you're a decent person, too. You're not some kind of monster."
Weiss wished she could've followed Yang's advice. Unfortunately, everything Yang had said had been far outweighed by years of Jacques' abuse. It felt like a dark room Weiss was trapped in. It felt like every step Weiss took to love herself was just pounding away at the walls of the room, when all she wanted to do was lie down and give up.
When am I going to feel better? I shouldn't be feeling this way anymore, what's wrong with me? Weiss thought to herself. She seemed to shrink away, every step towards loving herself always getting stopped and sent two steps back.
Adrenaline coursed through Weiss' mind as she sprinted towards the nearest half wall, ducking behind it without hesitation.
"Jaune's down," Ruby said, from a few feet away, on top of a few crates. She was laying prone, looking down the scope of her rifle. "I last saw Blake trying to sneak around the back, about twenty seconds ago."
"Wait, is she okay?" Weiss asked.
"No clue. Can't get a line on their setup," Ruby said.
"Where's Yang?" Weiss asked, shortly after hearing Yang charging forward, yelling out childish insults as she tried to get a shot in on the enemy. "Nevermind. I'm going to go help Blake."
"I'll cover you," Ruby said.
Weiss rolled out of cover, raising her paintball gun ahead, firing a few times at Yang's opponent. She rushed forward, getting back to back with Yang.
"Hey, ice queen!" Yang smirked. "Still doing alright?"
"For now," Weiss said, firing several times towards one of the enemies trying to charge them.
"God damn it!" the enemy said, as several paintballs hit his chest, bursting into a magnificent blue splash.
"Looking for Blake?" Yang asked.
"What gave it away?" Weiss asked.
"You're still Weiss, right?" Yang laughed.
"Ha, ha. Any clue where she is?" Weiss asked. As an answer to her question, she saw one of the marksmen ahead take several shots from behind, as someone sprinted behind him. "Nevermind."
Weiss rushed ahead, electing to use quick, erratic movements to prevent herself from getting hit. She felt several shots wiz past her head, before she hurried around the corner. She came face to face with one of the rival team's members.
"Oi!" he said. He raised his paintball gun, as the rules of this specific arena prevented shots within three feet. As the rules stated, you can give someone the chance to surrender, and if they refuse, then even within that three feet, you are allowed one shot on them. "Drop it!"
Weiss froze, lowering her gun. Before anything else could happen, two shots hit his back, and he groaned.
"Damn it," he sighed, stepping away.
"Weiss! Get down," Blake said, pulling her out of the open.
"Thank you," Weiss said.
"They've got four left," Blake said. "We still have six."
"Five," Weiss said. "Jaune went down."
"Then hopefully Pyrrha can cover his slack," Blake said. She nodded her head towards a stairwell. "Their marksman is up there, and she's been keeping track of their paint grenades."
"Let's go, then," Weiss said. The duo got up, rushing to the stairwell. They headed up, and the sniper continued to take shots at Ruby, unaware of Weiss and Blake.
"Surrender," Blake said, her paintball gun pointed at her back from a foot away.
"Shit," she said, letting go and standing up.
"Sorry, Emily," Blake said. Weiss cocked her head. "We're in book club together."
"Hey," Weiss said, pointing to the grenades. Four paint grenades sat on a nearby box.
"We need to get these to Yang. Apparently she's got a good arm," Blake said. Weiss hooked two to her belt, and Blake did the same, and they rushed back down the stairs. Yang ducked into cover in front of them.
"Shit, shit, it's her!" Yang said.
"Who?" Weiss asked.
"I mentioned someone short who is ruthless a while ago, remember?" Yang asked. "Well, she's here today. I've never once beaten her. I've never actually seen anyone beat her. Ruby and Pyrrha are down, it's just us."
"And the enemy team?" Blake asked.
"Down to just two," Yang said. As she spoke, a paintball hit her chest, and the two enemies stormed in. Blake and Weiss opened fire, and the taller opponent went down instantly. As for the shorter opponent, they couldn't hit them. They dodged and weaved around each shot effortlessly. Weiss grabbed Blake's arm with one hand, pulling the pin on a grenade with the other. She yanked Blake out of the room, tossing the paint grenade in as they got into cover. She heard the paint blast afterwards, and then she got up.
"I don't know if that got her, but we need some range on her," Blake said.
"Her?" Weiss asked.
"I'm assuming," she said. "Scold me later."
They rushed through the obstacles, finding a spot to rest for a minute.
"If she was down, the match end would have been announced," Blake said. "She also got out of the way of the blast."
"I can't say I'm too experienced, this is my first game," Weiss said.
"Me, too," Blake said. "I don't like our chances."
Weiss looked over cover, to see if she could spot the ruthless opponent, and nearly passed out upon doing so. She looked down the barrel of a paintball gun, about a foot from her helmet.
"Surrender," a quiet voice said.
That voice- Weiss tought.
"Blake, move!" Weiss warned, and immediately afterwards was walloped by a red paintball, bursting on her helmet. She stumbled back from the shot, and caught in the corner of her eye, Blake rolled forward, just to the clear zone of the three feet, and fire as she whipped her gun around.
"And, that's game!" the announcer called. "Marking our first recorded defeat of our champion!"
"Weiss!" Blake called, hurrying towards her. She knelt over her, grabbing her hand. "Are you okay?"
Weiss slowly sat up, her ears ringing. She pulled up her helmet, letting it fall to the ground.
"My bell's rung a bit, and it hurts a bit, but I'm alright," Weiss said. Blake winced, looking at Weiss' jaw.
"That's gonna bruise a little," Blake said. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Weiss rubbed the area around her jaw, already feeling it ache in pain.
"Yes," she said. She suddenly became aware of the positioning, Blake holding her hand with one of hers, her other hand comfortingly resting on her shoulder. Blake was staring down at her, worry in her eyes. "Thank you, Blake."
"Wait!" she heard Yang call. She looked over to see the ex-champion walking off, and quickly get intercepted by the fiery blonde. "I've been wondering, who are you?"
The champion pulled her mask off, and Yang's eyes went wide in shock, upon seeing the pink and brown hair pulled into a ponytail fall against her shoulder.
"Neo?" Yang asked, stepping forward. "You've been kicking my ass for years?"
Neo flashed a cocky grin, giving a shrug of feigned innocence. She began to walk off.
"One more thing," Yang called. "Dinner. You and me, Red Robin, tomorrow at 6:30."
Neo stopped in her tracks, turning back to face Yang. She cocked her head, thinking for a moment, then nodded, and winked at her. And without a word, she headed back towards the lockers.
"You and Neo?" Ruby asked, walking up. She rubbed her shoulder, which had a bright red splatter covering it. "After she kept beating us?"
"You know it," Yang grinned. They walked over to Blake and Weiss. "You two alright?"
"I'm alright," Blake said. "Weiss took a shot to the face, almost point blank."
"Did she give you a chance to surrender?" Ruby asked, worried.
"Yes, and I instead used that chance to give Blake the opportunity to beat her," Weiss said.
"Then, we owe both of you the victory," Pyrrha said. She had been taken down by a grazing shot to the ankle, and behind her, on the other hand, was Jaune, who was covered in paint.
"What happened to you?" Blake asked, amused.
"He got hit with a grenade," Pyrrha said.
"First and last time I ever do paintball," he winced. "It'll be fun, they said."
Blake helped Weiss to her feet, and Weiss grabbed her helmet. The group headed back to their lockers, and began to take off the armor.
"I can't believe you're ditching me for a date," Ruby mock whined to Yang.
"Soon enough, Ruby, you'll be doing the same," Yang said.
"You've been saying that since I was ten," Ruby said.
"Anyone else got any romantic plans?" Yang asked, curiously. She made eye contact with Weiss briefly.
"At the moment, I can't say I do," Pyrrha said. "Although, I do have my eyes one someone."
"Ow, ow," Jaune said, as Nora lifted his arm to help him take off one of the arm pads. "Watch the arm, it's gonna be covered in bruises."
"Shame," Yang said to Pyrrha. "Good luck with that, I hope it all works out. Weiss, what about you?"
"Not for the foreseeable future," Weiss glared back.
"Are you sure?" Yang asked. "I thought you said something about it, a while back. Right, you mentioned it to me back when I first told you I liked Neo."
"I guess you're remembering wrong," Weiss insisted. Yang gave her a slightly judging look.
"Alright," Blake said, confused. "Well, good luck with... all of this, you two. I'm going to head home, mom's taking me to Barnes and Noble in an hour and I need to take a shower."
She headed out, and soon Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren followed. Ruby sat off to the side, while Weiss and Yang gathered their belongings.
"This wasn't what we agreed," Yang said once it was just the three of them. "I remember a very specific deal."
"What are you guys talking about?" Ruby asked, scratching her head.
"Nothing," Weiss snapped. "Yang, this is my decision to make, not yours."
Yang sighed, slightly irritated.
"I just don't want you to sit there, waiting, and eventually regretting not doing anything," Yang said.
"Can we talk about this some other time?" Weiss asked.
"I'm really confused," Ruby said.
"Don't worry about it, Ruby," Yang said. "Could we get a moment?"
"Alright," Ruby said, walking out, looking between the two of them, befuddled. She stepped out of the locker room, letting the door close after her.
"You agreed, if I asked out Neo, you'd ask out Blake," Yang said.
"Yang, I can't!" Weiss snapped. "I've been trying to tell you, why do you keep insisting on this?"
"Because I'm your friend, and you're mine," Yang said. "And I want to see you be happy, not just keep living in clear depression and loneliness. I can tell how much you want to be Blake's girlfriend, but you're too scared to take that step. If you won't fight for yourself, then I'll fight for you. I can see how much you care about her. You just took a paintball to the face so she could get the win. And I saw how she was holding you. She didn't miss a beat before she went to make sure you were okay."
"That doesn't mean she wants to be more than friends," Weiss said.
"You'll never know if you don't take that chance," Yang said. "Do it for yourself."
"I told you, I can't. Not won't. Can't," Weiss said. Yang sighed.
"Weiss, I'm gonna be honest. I'm not good at sitting here and hoping you can figure this out yourself. I've always been the type of friend that gives you that push, whether you want it or not. I'm trying to give you that push, because you need it."
"I want to," Weiss said. "I want to take that step, but I can't, I don't know how. I told you I didn't know how."
"But we did talk about that. Coffehouse, remember?" Yang said.
"No, that's part of an idea. But that doesn't help me with actually telling her," Weiss said.
"If you'd like, I can help. I could tell her, if-" Yang said.
"No!" Weiss interrupted. "Absolutely not!"
"Alright," Yang said, putting up her hands. "I only wanted to offer."
"I appreciate the offer, but no," Weiss said.
"Weiss, if you want to take this at your own pace, then by all means, go ahead, but please don't end up wishing you'd taken this step, years from now. It's always better to get rejected and move past it than to wonder what could have been. It'll tear you apart, I've seen it happen before."
"You're right, I know you're right," Weiss said.
"Do me a favor, and just try, please," Yang said.
"And what happens when we lose the court case and I'm forced to live back with my family? I'll never be allowed to see her then," Weiss said.
"If, not when. If you lose the case, we'll figure it out. He can't keep you there longer than a year," Yang said.
"I don't want Blake to get into something with me and then have to wait that long," Weiss said.
"I know it would be worth the wait," Yang said. "Blake's kinda awesome like that."
Weiss sighed, looking at her feet. Worry was clouding her mind, it felt impossible to see the right choice. She took a deep breath, hoping that whatever decision she made was the right one.
Weiss hurried through the school hallway, eager to put away her textbooks from second period, as they were numerous and heavy. Her history textbooks were bad enough, but right now, they also were assigning readings from a practical tome of lessons. She lugged the books to her locker, quickly turning the lock to the proper numbers. She was shoving her books in when she heard the commotion from down the hallway.
"Just leave me alone," Sam Marigold snapped, hurrying away from Henry, who was following behind.
"No wonder you wanted to fraternize with the freaks," Henry scoffed. "Don't call yourself a Marigold if you're going to take part in all of that... degeneracy."
"What is going on here?" Weiss asked, stepping between the two of them. Everyone turned to look at the argument.
"Did you put him up to this?" Henry spat. "It wasn't enough to become a freak of nature, you had to get my cousin involved, too?"
"What?" Weiss asked, befuddled.
"Henry's angry because I admitted I was trans this morning," Sam said.
"What did you do? You got him into this crap, didn't you?" Henry sneered.
"All I did was be kind and supportive," Weiss said. "If your cousin is transgender, then maybe you should learn to be kind to your own family."
"Just wait until your parents hear about this," Henry snapped. "They'll see to it that you get some proper treatment."
Weiss' eyes flashed with rage, hearing Henry's threats to his cousin. She stepped towards Henry, and before she even registered what she was doing, Henry was holding his cheek, and Weiss' palm burned. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the hallway, Weiss slowly realizing she'd just taken far more of a stand than she was used to or expecting.
"Did you just slap me, Schnee?" Henry asked.
"You have no right to threaten someone like that, especially not your own family!" Weiss spat.
"You're one to talk about family. You left yours behind," Henry said.
"I don't want to hear it," Weiss said. "Leave. Now."
Henry glared between the two of them. He turned, beginning to leave. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief, which was a mistake. As soon as she let her guard down, Henry whipped back around, and his fist impacted with Weiss' eye. Weiss stumbled back, reeling.
"Weiss!" Blake yelled, from down the hallway. Weiss hit the ground, feeling her head smack on the tile floor. Her vision blurred, and she felt dizzy and nauseous. She saw a blonde blur crash into Henry at the speed of light.
"Piece of shit!" Yang spat, as fists flew. Weiss tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it.
"Weiss, stay still," Blake said, worried. She saw Blake's face come into view, above her. She still heard Yang's fists pummeling Henry, for several seconds.
"That's enough!" Goodwitch called from down the hall.
"Break it up, break it the hell up!" Qrow yelled.
"Don't fucking touch me, Qrow!" Yang spat.
"Yang, that's enough," Qrow said.
"You're messing with the wrong family," Henry winced. "I'm gonna sue your ass!"
"You do that!" Yang yelled back. "You touch any of my friends, ever again, and I'll make this look like a papercut!"
"Yang," Ruby said. "Please, stop."
Weiss tried to see what was going on, but all she could see was Blake's blurry face.
"Weiss, just breathe," Blake said.
"My ears hurt," Weiss slurred.
"I think you're concussed," Blake said. "Just breathe."
Weiss looked into Blake's eyes, and slowly nodded.
"Blake, get Weiss to the nurse's office," Goodwitch snapped. "Henry, Sam, and Yang, my office, now."
"Your family's going to starve after we're done with them," Henry threatened.
"I said that's enough!" Qrow spat. "Another word out of either of you and you'll be talking to me."
"I'll help you get her to the nurse's office," Ruby said.
"Me, too," Pyrrha said.
"I feel sick," Weiss muttered.
"Ruby, go get the nurse, we're gonna need a wheelchair, she can't walk like this," Blake said. "Weiss, just breathe, and stay awake."
Weiss took a deep breath in, looking into Blake's amber eyes.
"Your eyes are really pretty," Weiss said.
"Then just keep looking at them," Blake said, trying to give a comforting smile. "Just breathe, Weiss."
"You did what?" Tai asked. Weiss sat on the couch, holding an ice pouch on her head. Yang sat before Tai, arms folded.
"He gave Weiss a concussion," Yang snapped.
"Yang, you can't solve all of your problems with your fists," Tai sighed. "I understand, the guy sounds like a douche. But you don't understand how bad this is."
"I got him to take back the lawsuit threat," Qrow said. "But Goodwitch wasn't as lenient. She's suspended for two weeks, and she's damn lucky she's not getting expelled for this."
"What was I supposed to do?" Yang asked.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said. Everyone turned to her. "I slapped him, that's what set all of this off."
"I don't blame you," Qrow said. "I don't think any of us do. The problem was how it escalated."
"I saw the whole thing," Ruby said. "Henry's cousin's transgender, and Henry was threatening to out them to their parents."
"Jesus," Qrow sighed. "I forgot how much teenagers suck."
"Like I said, I don't even really blame you," Tai said to Yang. "If it'd just been a punch or two, you know I'd be by your side here. But the nurse found nine bruises. Yang, you've gotta learn when to tone it down."
"Alright," Yang said. "I'll try."
"I understand why it happened, and for that, I'll be lenient here, but I can't let you off free here," Tai sighed. "You're grounded for a week. No video games, no allowance, no leaving the house except for work."
Yang nodded, irritated.
"Thanks for being lenient," Yang said. "I know most parents would make it months."
"Like I said. I can't blame you too much here. But I can't let you off the hook completely," Tai said.
"Weiss," Ruby said. "Henry's cousin wanted me to have us come see them after this was all done."
"I'm doing a lot better, I think I can manage that," Weiss said.
"You sure you're okay to walk?" Taiyang asked.
"Nurse said it was a pretty minor concussion," Weiss said. "I'm alright now, it's been hours."
"Alright," he said. "Be careful."
Weiss nodded.
"We'll be back in a bit," Ruby said, standing. And then, the two of them headed towards the door, donning their coats.
"Hey, Yang?" Weiss asked, as Tai and Qrow left the room. "Thanks."
"Anytime," Yang said, leaning back on the couch. "Tell them I said hi. I'm gonna catch a nap."
Thanks for reading! Chapter 24 is now in progress.