AUTHOR'S NOTE: Been forgetting to post this and the next three chapters on here, but better late than never, I suppose. This particular chapter was actually the first White Rose thing I started writing, but then I got distracted with other ideas and went with those instead. But I finished it up right before Halloween, so this became a Halloween special. On Ao3 where I actually remembered to publish it, anyways. Anyways, here's White Rose playing my favorite horror game for some reason.
As she screamed and covered her eyes, Weiss wondered to herself, Just how in the hell does this qualify as "relaxing?!"
When Ruby told her she wanted to share a relaxing game with her, Weiss figured Ruby was referring to something like perhaps Stardew Valley or PowerWash Simulator. She played those online with Blake and Yang all the time, after all. Instead, Ruby had chosen… something else. Apparently a gruesome horror game is what counted as relaxing for her.
"Uh, you okay there, Weiss?" Ruby asked. She stifled a giggle when she felt Weiss wordlessly nod from her spot in the crook of her wife's neck. Ruby paused the game and patted her partner's head. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'll protect you."
"I don't need protection from a video game," Weiss muttered more to herself than anyone. "It's not real."
"And yet…" Ruby snickered. Playing horror games with Weiss was a favorite hobby of hers. Her wife would always act all tough beforehand, but the moment anything even slightly scary actually happened, she'd immediately shriek and latch onto Ruby's arm for dear life.
"Well, I wasn't expecting it to be this scary!" Weiss protested.
"Honey, it's literally called 'Dead Space.' I told you this one was pretty intense," Ruby chuckled.
Weiss stammered, "W-well I wasn't expecting this! Please tell me it doesn't get any scarier than it is now?"
"Um, we haven't even been playing for ten minutes. It gets way worse." Ruby stifled another laugh when she felt Weiss's vice grip on her arm tighten even further. If not for her aura and the massive amount of muscle on her body, Ruby imagined Weiss would've accidentally snapped her arm in half by now.
"Why did I let you talk me into this…" Weiss muttered. "I thought I could handle this after we got through that other Fedora Prick game or whatever it was."
"Resident Evil 2?" Ruby guffawed.
"Sure. Still, that one wasn't so bad. I thought I'd be ready for this." Weiss's pouty face was the most adorable thing Ruby had ever seen.
"You know we can always stop if it's too scary, hon." The amused look on Ruby's face was quickly replaced with genuine concern, but Weiss wouldn't have it. The whole reason she was here right now was to spend time with Ruby, and she wouldn't just walk away. Weiss was far too stubborn and prideful for that.
Letting go of Ruby's arm, Weiss's face distorted in disgust. "W-What?! Absolutely not!" She sputtered indignantly for a solid ten seconds before regaining her composure. "No! No, I am a proud gay woman and I have no fear! I'll do this myself if I have to! Give me the controller!"
Before Ruby could say a thing, Weiss snatched the controller from her hands and unpaused the game, steely determination in her eyes. Ruby grinned, "Well, this'll be interesting."
Weiss's boost of confidence lasted all of ten seconds before she was ambushed by a grotesque Necromorph, it's distorted body and lifeless eyes radiating malice. Weiss screamed and rapidly squeezed the trigger, firing in every single direction with her eyes squinted. The sounds of the Plasma Cutter's continued fire echoed through their living room, but it didn't stop the charging monster.
"Weiss?"
She kept firing. The creature kept charging ever forward, even as Weiss backed up.
"Weiss?"
A last monstrous growl and the creature finally seemed to fall, yet still the body continued to move. Weiss kept firing.
"Weiss!" Ruby gently grabbed Weiss's shoulder, eliciting another shriek as she leaped in the air.
The frightened woman finally stopped and looked at Ruby with widened eyes. "Y-yes, dear?"
"I'm pretty sure it's dead." Weiss looked at the screen, and after a few seconds of processing she visibly relaxed, the tension releasing from her body as she sighed in relief. Ruby smiled, looking far too amused. "Want me to take over?"
"Please," Weiss relented and handed the controller back to Ruby. Opening her inventory, Ruby lightly frowned. Weiss stammered, "What?"
"Weiss, how did you manage to waste every single round of ammo we had?" Ruby asked incredulously.
"I-it was still moving!" she protested.
"Because you were still shooting it! Ragdoll physics, Weiss!" Ruby shook with friendly laughter. The lack of ammo was a problem, but she could make do. It wasn't the first time her back had been against the wall after all, though in those cases it had been real life and she'd had a massive scythe to fall back on. In this fictional realm of horrors, this was the first time she'd have to progress without ammunition. She'd been far too careful and precise to face this situation before in previous playthroughs.
"Why did it take so long to go down?" Weiss questioned. "How does anyone beat this?"
"Because you're supposed to aim for the limbs. That's why there was a giant blood smear next to the Plasma Cutter that read 'cut off their limbs.' And several audio logs saying that same thing over and over. It wasn't exactly subtle," Ruby chuckled.
"I thought it was just creepy atmosphere…" Weiss muttered and crossed her arms.
"Even the tutorial pop-up?" Ruby grinned.
"I… okay, so I was covering my eyes! I admit it!" Weiss huffed and pouted, melting Ruby's heart with her unintentional adorableness. Ruby leaned down and kissed Weiss's cheek, delighting in the blush that crossed her lover's face.
Smiling and feeling warm-hearted, Ruby switched gears and turned her attention back to the game. She walked up to the Necromorph Weiss had brought down and stomped on it. It roared and came back to life, swiping at her with murderous intent. Weiss jumped in her seat and immediately returned to her usual position of trying to cut off the circulation in Ruby's arm. "I thought you said it was dead!" she screamed.
"I said I was pretty sure it was dead," Ruby replied calmly. With practiced efficiency, Ruby continued stomping on the downed monster until it finally died. Fortunately for her, it also dropped some much needed ammunition for her Plasma Cutter. Reloading her favorite weapon, Ruby whispered "that'll help" under her breath.
"How are you so damn calm about this?!" Weiss asked. It was the same question she asked every time they played a horror game, and the answer was always the same.
"Eh, I don't know," Ruby shrugged. As was tradition, Weiss merely stared at her in disbelief. Ruby just smirked and added, "What? Yang and I used to play this one when we were younger. Probably too young, in hindsight."
She pushed her character forward through the cramped and blood-soaked corridors of the USG Ishimura, cutting down various Necromorphs with as much calm efficiency as she would any Grimm. "If it makes you feel any better," Ruby started, "this game's definitely a lot more intense than any other we've played. It's the only one that gave me nightmares, at least." She shrugged again with that usual casual confidence that Weiss couldn't help but find attractive, even as it sometimes baffled her.
"And you still play it?" Weiss looked at her partner with utter bewilderment.
"Heck yeah I do! The nightmares only made it cooler." Weiss was completely dumbfounded by the cheerful enthusiasm in Ruby's voice.
"I don't know why I'm surprised," Weiss finally resigned.
"I'd rather have nightmares about things that aren't real than things that are," Ruby frowned, her voice suddenly a bit somber.
"Fair enough," Weiss said before gently kissing Ruby's cheek. Taking the cue that it was time to change the subject, Weiss inquired, "So, you're looking for a Data Board?" She already knew the answer, but knew the question would help Ruby refocus. Weiss nuzzled back into her partner and let her wife's calm demeanor influence her own.
"Yeah, I need it to get the tram system working." Another creature leaped out and Weiss did her best to suppress a jump. Fortunately for her, Ruby eliminated the Necromorph quickly and efficiently. Ruby added, "Oh, and for what it's worth, I turned the game down to easy mode for you." Ruby's face was pure excitement as she gruesomely dismembered more terrifying monsters, all the while not so much as even batting an eyelash. "Yang and Blake regularly play this on the hardest difficulty."
"Yang and Blake are masochists," Weiss retorted.
"No argument there," Ruby chuckled, remembering the times she'd see Yang play horror games in VR and laugh maniacally.
More creatures arrived and were quickly cut down, their now missing limbs spitting fountains of blood. Weiss did her best to remind herself this was just a game. It wasn't real, and she had no reason to be afraid. By the gods, she'd already fought against an immortal witch and won. This advanced toy couldn't hurt her!
It was mere seconds until a grotesque creature leapt from the shadows and slashed at Ruby, prompting another loud scream from Weiss. She crushed Ruby's arm with lethal force, prompting a hiss of pain from her partner. Weiss reluctantly forced herself to loosen her death grip for Ruby's sake.
"We're almost done, sweetheart," Ruby whispered. It was a small thing, but it certainly lowered Weiss's blood pressure a bit. Ruby reentered a control room and activated the ship's tram system, initiating some brief dialogue before leaving, watching her ship explode, and then diverting to the newly reactivated train. She stepped inside and the screen went dark, letting Ruby save the game. Weiss noted the many, many filled save slots. Clearly this was a favorite of Ruby's, though how she could handle it so easily was something she'd probably never understand.
"That's the first chapter over," Ruby said. "We can take a break now if you need a breather."
"Yes, please," Weiss replied without hesitation. She finally let go of Ruby's arm and took a much-needed breath. Standing up from their living room couch, Weiss pressed her hands against her back and pushed, the stretch relieving the tension from her muscles.
Ruby stood up and stretched as well before walking to their kitchen. "Want a snack?" she asked.
"I'm good," Weiss replied. "Don't know if I could stomach anything after all that gore."
"What, you didn't think it was cool?" was Ruby's distant reply as she rummaged through the various cupboards looking for something to alleviate her hunger.
"Of course not! It's disgusting!" Weiss protested.
"Disgustingly awesome!" Ruby cheered as she came back with a bag of pretzels and a soda. She plopped herself back down on the couch and began chowing down on her much needed gamer fuel. Weiss sat down next to her and nuzzled closer, though this time she was far gentler than the arm-snapping squeezes of just a few minutes ago.
Weiss sighed in resignation. There was no way she wasn't having nightmares tonight. As if reading her mind, Ruby chimed in, "Don't worry, honey, I'll be sure to hold you close tonight and every night."
"Are you using a violent horror game to flirt with me?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
Ruby grinned and raised her hands. "Is it working?"
"I hate that it might be." Much as she didn't want to admit it, Weiss loved it when Ruby got protective, even if it was over something as silly as a scary game.
"So, whatcha think of the game so far?" Ruby asked after downing a gulp of soda.
"I think it's going to give me a heart attack," Weiss muttered.
"So, you like it?" Ruby asked. The slightly nervous look on her face was just too damn adorable for Weiss to cope with.
"It's definitely… interesting so far. I certainly have questions," Weiss shrugged.
"Oh, you're gonna love the story! The worldbuilding is some of the best of any game series I've played! There's so much foreshadowing and connectivity across the games and the way things unfold is super cool and…"
Weiss listened intently to Ruby's rambling. Even after all the battles they'd fought and the hells they'd endured, her passion never dwindled. That heart was why Weiss had fallen so head-over-heels for her in the first place.
She gently grabbed the game controller from Ruby's lap and held it up. Her rambling suddenly stopped and her eyes widened. "You actually want to keep going?" Ruby asked.
"I don't exactly relish the idea of giving myself a heart attack, but seeing you get so passionate about something is just too damn cute," Weiss smiled and gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek.
Feeling happy and content, Weiss started the game back up, moving her character out of the now parked tram only to see a blindfolded woman whispering over a bloody and dismembered corpse.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked, her grip on the controller tightening.
"Yes, dear?"
"How many levels are there?" she asked as she picked up the telekinesis module the now dead woman had dropped.
"Twelve chapters," Ruby replied.
"And what are we on now?"
"Chapter two." Ruby's wide and mischievous grin didn't go unnoticed by Weiss.
"Oh dear gods, no." Nevertheless, Weiss pushed forward, knocking obstacles out of the way with her new TK device. "Just… please tell me there's no invincible stalker enemies or whatever games call them?"
Ruby's silence made Weiss pause. She looked at her partner who wore an expression of barely contained laughter. "Ruby."
"I didn't say anything," she shrugged with an evil grin.
"Ruby, is there an invincible asshole?" Weiss was wide-eyed.
"What? No…" Ruby finally chuckled. "Well, maybe one or two," she cackled. Weiss looked back at the screen and reluctantly pushed forward. This was gonna be a long, painful night.
"Fuck me."
"So, what'd you think?" Ruby asked, looking at her partner eagerly after the credits had started to roll.
"I think…" Weiss started, "I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight."
"So, you enjoyed it?" Weiss didn't miss the slight hint of nervousness on Ruby's face, clearly worried about judgement even though logically she knew there was no reason to fear. The slight narrowing of her eyebrows was small enough that anyone else would've completely missed it, but Weiss knew her partner better than anyone.
"It was certainly the most terrifying thing you've gotten me to sit through, but I did enjoy it. The worldbuilding was surprisingly intricate and well-crafted."
"Oh, then you're gonna love the sequel! It's even better!" The adorable look on her wife's face was almost enough to distract her from the word "sequel."
"Oh gods, there's more?" Weiss could already imagine the terror ahead.
"Two more, yeah," Ruby said. "The second's the best, and the third's enjoyable if you're playing it co-op, though it's not really scary until the end. Still got some cool lore, though. Oh, and the first is getting a remake in a few months, so that'll be cool!"
This woman was going to kill her, Weiss thought. But when she saw the excited glint in her partner's eyes, Weiss couldn't help but smile. She was worth it.
Weiss sighed, "How long's the sequel?"
Ruby looked at her with surprise. "You actually want to play more now?"
"Well, I probably won't be able to fall asleep any time soon, so why not?" Weiss shrugged.
"Yes!" Ruby pumped a fist and cheered. "Oh, you're gonna love this one!" She opened up the game and Weiss immediately felt another strike of fear when the menu opened.
But then she looked at Ruby, and couldn't help but delight at her wife's passionate joy. Weiss took a deep breath and smiled. If a fear-induced heart attack was how she was going to go, well, Ruby was worth it.