I wonder what she's up to.

With pep in her step, Ruby walked down the narrow hallway with a destination in mind. She couldn't stop grinning as the floor beneath her swayed.

Yesterday, Ruby worked tirelessly to repair the ship. Only because they finally had enough money to do so. It'd been a whole day since they hit gold. Robbing the dust store had been completely worth it.

The unexpected sea dragon grimm left the ship decently damaged.

For now, Qrow insisted that Ruby take a break. Instead, Blake and Yang took her place today. They would rotate until the damages were fixed. Which could take quite some time.

Since Ruby had an entire day to herself, she knew exactly how she was going to spend it.

Happily, Ruby knocked on a door a few times.

There was an invitation to come in. She sounded a bit flustered from the unexpected arrival, but welcoming.

Slowly, Ruby cracked open the door. "Whatcha up to, Weiss?"

From her appearance, Weiss set down the hairbrush she was holding. "Looking for something to do?"

When Weiss turned to face her, Ruby fell silent. Any words she could think of died in her throat and brain. Her appearance was striking.

She must've gotten out of the shower just now, Ruby deduced.

"Ruby?"

"W-ah-uh yeah!" Ruby nervously beamed. "You're such a great distraction."

From how flustered she was acting, Weiss perked a white eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Of course it is," Ruby said like it was obvious.

She'd never insult her. At least not on purpose.

Her reply earned a tiny smile from Weiss. From the angelic sight, Ruby's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, it felt like she was drifting in the clouds. Time didn't feel so important anymore.

Weiss was wearing a baggy white shirt and shorts. The shirt was long on her, so the pants were hidden. It was like she was wearing a dress. Her hair was no longer in a side ponytail and was a free-flowing, damp blanket of white.

Now that Ruby thought about it, she'd never really seen Weiss like this. So carefree and relaxed. This was a new side to her that she welcomed wholeheartedly. In fact, looking at her was mesmerizing.

A sweet aroma lingered in the air, and Ruby could tell that it emanated from her. It was sweet vanilla.

At this moment, Ruby thought Weiss was an angel without wings.

How can she be so beautiful? Ruby thought. She's out of this world...

Ruby's heart slammed against her ribcage. Silver eyes couldn't pry away as Weiss confusedly asked her what was wrong. All Ruby saw was those perfect lips move, but nothing came out. She was dazed and entranced.

It wasn't until Weiss shook her shoulders did she snap out of it.

"Ruby!" Weiss practically shouted, genuinely concerned. "Are you okay?"

"W-wha- no, I'm fine!" Ruby hastily replied.

Not convinced, Weiss narrowed her eyes to examine her features to tell if she was lying or not. All Ruby did was enjoy the sweet aroma as she leaned into her. Now that Weiss was closer to her, the smell washed over her in calm waves. It was so heavenly that Ruby closed her eyes to enjoy the scent.

"If you say so," Weiss said, unsure. "Stop dilly-dallying and come here."

After she pat the spot on the bed next to her, any semblance of reality Ruby held was shattered. It was like her brain became void of any thought.

She was alone with Weiss.

In her room.

Alone.

With. Weiss.

The reality of the situation slowly dawned on her as she grew more flustered. Heat kept rising to her cheeks. She briefly wondered if she looked like a cherry.

When Weiss gave her another skeptical look, Ruby finally replied.

"Sure, I'll sit…"

Whatdoesshehaveonhermindwhat'sgoingonwhydoesshesmellsosweetisthisnormalitshouldbeimpossibleforsomeonetosmellthisgoodahshessocuteah-

Suddenly, Weiss handed her the hairbrush. This snapped Ruby out of it.

"Do you want to brush my hair?" Weiss asked, which earned a dazed expression. "My sister and I used to brush each other's all the time. It was… nice."

I can brush her hair?! Ruby thought in glee. I've always wanted to touch her hair but to be offered to?!

"Sure," Ruby replied a little quicker than she intended. "It always looks so pretty…"

Weiss gazed at her with her own blush. "Dunce."

From the fond nickname, Ruby beamed a smile. With her heart thundering, she shuffled over and sat on the edge of her bed. As the mattress shifted from her weight, Ruby positioned herself directly behind her.

On her bed.

On her bed...

Ruby was on her knees behind the girl as she combed her fingers through the white tresses.

"Your hair's very soft, Weiss."

"It's the one thing I can control after everything that's happened," Weiss mentioned.

Leisurely, Weiss enjoyed the meticulous movements. Her heart pounded rapidly when she felt Ruby's faint breath tickle her ears. The breeze was like a cool melody. The feather-like touches only added to the ripples shooting down her spine.

"I love it," Ruby murmured. "It reminds me of snow."

"Thank you, Ruby…"

From her tone, Ruby could tell Weiss wasn't only thanking her for the compliment. It was so much more than that.

With a smile, Ruby focused on the task at hand. Although, that was incredibly difficult. She was having a hard enough time just being alone with her.

Meanwhile, Weiss leaned into the contact. It was so gentle. Even gentler than when Winter had brushed her hair. Rubywas grooming her. The gentle touches soothed her, but her heart only thudded harder. Heat rose to her cheeks and she wondered why she felt this way.

This was Ruby.

The same Ruby who refused to leave her side. The same Ruby who refused to watch her suffer under her father's control. The same Ruby who reached out her hand. The Ruby who offered her a new, liberating life.

This was Ruby.

Just Ruby.

Carefully, Ruby was meticulous with her movements. Truth be told, she'd never brushed anyone's hair before. Her sister never let her touch her hair and Blake didn't like physical contact all that much.

"I've never done this to another person before," Ruby mentioned, being careful to not pull hard.

"I couldn't tell," Weiss replied. "You're a natural."

That earned a hearty giggle.

"I'm so talented," Ruby said sarcastically.

"You're also talented with a scythe," Weiss pointed out.

"Does this mean you want me to use my baby to cut your hair?" Ruby asked in excitement.

"I want my hair brushed, not be decapitated," Weiss said in amusement.

"Crescent Rose only decapitates grimm, silly," Ruby said with a grin.

"Right, how could I forget? Your scythe would show me mercy."

"Mhm!" Ruby chirped. "You'd only be half-decapitated."

"How reassuring," Weiss said. "You're saying there's still a chance to live?"

"My aura can heal anything," Ruby said jokingly.

After, Ruby and Weiss shared a laugh together.

Briefly, Ruby glanced around as she brushed through the hair. The ship she'd lived on her whole life, the ship she'd grown used to, the ship that became dull several years ago… was suddenly brighter.

Woah, Ruby thought in realization. I'm nervous, but at ease with her.

Fondly, the captain soothed the hairbrush into a new section of hair. For having so much of it, there were virtually no tangles. Ruby almost forgot to do a thorough job since she was so flustered.

"A-am I hurting you at all?" Ruby asked.

"You're fine," Weiss replied quicker than she intended.

She actually liked her touch. Maybe more. Probably loved her touch. It was gentle and meticulous. Full of trust.

"Whew," Ruby said in relief.

"I'd tell you if it hurt, dunce."

"R-right," the captain stammered.

Weiss looked at her, skeptical. She didn't miss the red on her cheeks. Shyly, Weiss glanced away. Mostly because their faces were mere inches apart. When she glanced away, this caused some of her damp hair to brush over Ruby's nose.

Ruby wrinkled her nose with a goofy grin. "As much as I like the smell of your hair, I'd prefer not to eat it."

It was then that Weiss bit her lip. In response, Ruby almost panicked. Was that weird to say? Maybe she shouldn't have said that...

"If you liked eating it, I'd be concerned," Weiss almost laughed.

Relieved, Ruby heartily giggled. "Eheh, yeah that might be weird," with a broad grin, she set down the brush. "There, I think it's good now. N-not that it wasn't good before!"

The last thing she wanted was to stop brushing her hair, but she couldn't do that for eternity. Even if she really wanted to. Being that close to Weiss caused her feelings to bubble. At this rate, she didn't know if she could retain her sense of self.

"Thank you, dunce," Weiss said as she gathered her hair over her shoulder.

When the blanket of white settled, Weiss turned to face her.

Their faces were mere inches apart. Sparkling silver met shimmering azure. For a few moments, they only stared at each other, swimming in those pools. Neither looked away like they locked themselves in a trance.

Their hearts pounded loudly. So fervently that the beats resounded over the creaks of the ship.

At the same time, they slowly leaned in. Both seemed hesitant, but it felt like outside forces wanted them to...

"Weiss… I…"

Before Ruby could finish, her eyes naturally closed.

Their lips almost grazed-

"We need help with the floor- oh."

From the voice, Ruby and Weiss hastily jumped away from each other with fierce blushes.

"Well, well," Yang said knowingly, blatantly egging them on. "What's goin' on here?"

"It- it was nothing!" Ruby poorly defended and quickly grabbed the brush. "I was brushing her hair! That's right, brushing!"

"Hmmmm," Yang drawled with a shit-eating grin. "It looked like a little more than 'brushing.'"

Annoyed by her, Weiss asked. "Have you ever heard of knocking? What do you want?"

"We need help with the repairs," Yang said, finding joy in her embarrassed expression. "Look, I don't care what you do. All I ask is that you use protection and put a sock on the door, got it?"

"Get out, you oaf!"

"Riiiiiight," the blonde drawled with the wiggle of a brow. "Feel free to continue."

The door couldn't shut fast enough.

Ruby looked like she wanted to die.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "She won't let us live this down, will she?"

A sigh told her that no. No, she wouldn't.


White Rose…. IS SO GAY! I love flustered Ruby so much.

Stay dandy,

~Toto