Pairing: White Rose
Summary: Ruby stumbles across something while studying (WDU add-on)

Pausing the video on the enlarged tablet in her hands, Ruby scrolled back three seconds before pressing play again - this time at half speed. The chaotic action towards the end of the battle was impossible to decipher from the first couple of views, but now the intricate strategies were showing through - revealing themselves to her, as she liked to say (putting emphasis on 'revealing' so that Weiss would blush).

If Ruby's injuries left her with anything, it was a never-ending sense of awe over what she and Weiss used to be capable of, as well as enthusiasm to regain their previous skills and become even better than before. But the only way to get there was more studying and more practicing - two activities she'd become something of an expert at.

The videos from the combat room - remnants of times past - sent her already-kind-of-obsessive level of studying into the stratosphere. Years of saved simulations were stored on the computer's brain, covering almost every combat move their team ever used. After months of intense studying, Ruby still hadn't made a dent in the sheer volume of new content available to her.

Not that she wasn't trying! The portable tablet she used to analyze the videos was practically glued to her hand these days. Weiss had made a joke about how Ruby should just wear a permanent backpack to carry it around. They both laughed, but...they both knew it was a good idea too.

"Oh!"

Spotting something in the midst of the video, Ruby tapped the pause button as fast as possible. After scrolling backwards a half of a second, she stared at the still image on the screen, trying to commit it to memory.

Their fighting style was rooted in shapes - squares, circles, triangles - that were repeated and combined in different sequences to form patterns. Patterns had to account for a wide variety of variables while remaining flexible enough to react to changes in the battle at hand. One thing Ruby struggled with at the moment was picking out what was a part of the pattern and what was actually a break from it.

This was a break in the sequence. And, as usual, Ruby's answer lay in Weiss.

Because obviously Weiss was the answer to everything, but also because her body language told Ruby that this was a break in pattern. She knew it from the way Weiss' right hand clenched by her side while the inkling of a glyph appeared at her left.

Setting the tablet down, Ruby grabbed her pen and jotted down her most recent observation.

Weiss had a lot of little tells like this - tiny, nearly-undetectable quirks that gave away her thoughts, feelings, or - in this case - the additional intensity that came with leaving pre-set plans behind.

The more time they spent together, the more of these little gestures Ruby discovered. She didn't think they were bad! She loved uncovering these little secrets. It meant she knew Weiss better than anyone else, and she loved knowing Weiss better than anyone else.

After finishing her most-recent note, Ruby played the end of the video and smiled when they beat the simulation.

"You did great!" the video-version of herself told Weiss, whose chest heaved from the exertion of the battle they just put themselves through.

"You flatter me," Weiss replied in a dry yet gently-appreciative tone. It was the tone that said 'thank you' without actually saying 'thank you.'

"Of course I do! You're amazing."

While the video-version of Ruby said the words, she took a step closer to Weiss and set both hands on Weiss' hips. They were going to kiss - Ruby knew they were going to kiss - but the recording ended righttttt when video Ruby leaned in.

Figures.

Even though she didn't get to see the kiss happen, real-life Ruby's chest filled with butterflies at the thought of it.

Kissing Weiss was one of her favorite things in the world. It was better than cookies, better than ice cream, better than everything. Well, except for a couple of things...but those were packaged together with kissing so didn't count.

Looking up from the tablet, Ruby smiled at Weiss, who looked super adorable reading the book she picked up the other day. Her eyes were trained to the page while she slouched (Weiss was slouching!) against the back of the sofa. She'd pulled her legs up onto the cushion, looking incredibly relaxed while her right knee lightly rested against Ruby's leg.

Their evenings were normally spent like this - the two of them sitting in the living room reading or studying or talking after another practice in the combat room. Sometimes they studied together, but oftentimes Weiss let Ruby go through her initial analysis alone before the two of them went through everything at the end. In the meantime, Weiss was content waiting for Ruby to finish - and Ruby was content as long as Weiss was nearby.

These days, Ruby understood how Yang could be quiet in Blake's company but no one else's. Because to Ruby, being around Weiss was...calming, in a way. They didn't need to fill up every second with sound. They didn't need to be in constant motion. They could just...be.

Deciding to wait a little longer before bugging Weiss (for 'strategy debriefing,' but also for a kiss), Ruby clicked on the next video on the list. While it loaded up - displaying a time on the screen that was a short while after the events of the previous video - Ruby put her pen to paper and prepared to write down her initial thoughts and reactions in real time.

The video started in the same meadowy-landscape as the last one, which provided an easy terrain for practicing new strategies before throwing obstacles like trees and boulders into the mix. Ruby really liked this landscape - it looked like a great place to have a picnic or just lay in the grass finding shapes in the clouds (assuming the combat room could simulate clouds).

While the countdown to the start of the simulation began, the video-version of Weiss cleared her throat and pulled at the hem of her skirt.

"So that was…"

When Weiss' words trailed off, Ruby leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Awesome."

The two of them stayed in each other's space, staring into each other's eyes while having a conversation that would remain between the two of them. After coming to a conclusion of whatever discussion they were having, Weiss turned towards the computer and said "End simulation."

And then the video ended.

Confused by the brief recording, Ruby started it from the beginning and watched the entire thing again. After confirming that there was nothing more - that the video was actually just that little snippet - she went back and checked the recording times to see if maybe she'd missed something. She was watching sequentially, so she didn't think she had…

But there was a video missing?

But there was a video missing!

Shooting another glance at Weiss - who calmly turned the page of her book, oblivious to Ruby's suddenly-racing thoughts - Ruby clicked through the screens while trying to match the two videos up to each other.

There was a gap between the recordings, which wasn't unusual. She'd found a couple of gaps before - about a half hour or so, which seemed like the perfect time to get a snack, some water, take a break, or tune up one of their weapons. But there'd never been such a short video after the gap...

Watching the second video for a third time, Ruby tried to pinpoint what triggered all these questions in her mind. Hoping to find an answer, she zoomed in on the source of all her answers - Weiss. And when the video started again, she watched Weiss' mannerisms with hawk-like focus.

Weiss cleared her throat...tugged at her skirt...left her sentence unfinished…and was that a blush on her cheeks?

"No…" Ruby breathed out when she stumbled across the answer, her eyes widening at the implication.

"What is it?"

Looking up, Ruby found that she'd captured Weiss' attention with the word - and pretty blue eyes were now staring at her while waiting for an answer.

"Oh, nothing," Ruby fudged, watching Weiss' brow immediately arch at the clear lie. "I mean, totally nothing," she repeated before holding up the tablet and pointing to the screen. "But uh...were videos ever deleted from this?"

Sitting a little straighter, Weiss set her book on the coffee table before casually waving her hand.

"Sometimes we started simulations and were called away before finishing them - depending on how far we made it, we might've deleted those."

The answer made a lot of sense, so Ruby nodded. But that didn't explain the gnawing feeling of almost-certainty she had that something else was actually to blame.

"So...we don't have any other videos?" Ruby asked, again watching Weiss closely for an answer. "Like maybe we moved them somewhere else?"

For a split second, it looked like Weiss wanted to say 'no.' Instead, she turned away and said, "What makes you ask that?"

The non-answer was as good as a confession in Ruby's book. Ever since Weiss realized she couldn't lie (Ruby knew her tell, after all), she'd developed the habit of answering questions with questions instead of lies. Either way, it meant Ruby's suspicions were right.

"Because there should be a video in between these ones," Ruby explained, her words falling out in a rush while showing the screen to Weiss. "I don't think we left the room, so there should be another one."

When Ruby pressed play and Weiss watched the screen-version of herself display all the traits of someone slightly embarrassed about something, she blushed.

"So?" Ruby prodded when the video ended and Weiss said nothing.

"So," Weiss repeated, clearing her throat and meeting Ruby's eyes. "Would you like something for dessert? We can go get ice cream."

When Weiss stood up to walk out of the room, Ruby jumped to her feet to prevent the attempted escape.

"Oh no no no - you can't distract me with ice cream!" When Weiss raised her brow again, Ruby waved her hands and shook her head. "Not this time! There are other videos lurking around somewhere, and I'm pretty sure you know where."

For what felt like the longest time, Weiss stared - the type of stare she did when she was weighing her options and the possible outcomes.

"Is there any chance you'll forget this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as if trying to calculate those odds herself.

"Uh, maybe if I hit my head hard enough?" Ruby joked. At least, she thought it was a joke, but Weiss considered it a little too seriously before eventually reaching out for Ruby's hand.

"Come with me."

Even though Ruby had already known that Weiss would tell her eventually, she squealed in excitement while Weiss pulled her out of the living room and led her downstairs.

"I figured you'd find out one of these days…" Weiss mumbled while they took the stairs one at a time (like Ruby always did when she walked with Weiss).

"And I did!"

And now Ruby couldn't wait to see whatever Weiss was about to show her. Although, if the videos were what she thought they were…

Feeling her cheeks heat up, Ruby glanced at Weiss out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh, I mean, if you're ok with me seeing them?"

Weiss laughed at the question, shaking her head as they walked over to the podium that controlled the combat room in front of them.

"You've been ready for everything far earlier than me - I don't know why this would be any different." Turning to the side, Weiss gave Ruby a smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Plus, you're in these videos too. I think that gives you the right to know, don't you?"

As always, there was an opportunity for Ruby to back out - to say she wasn't ready or was willing to wait. She could say she wasn't prepared for this piece of the past, and Weiss would smoothly direct them around the subject and lead them back upstairs.

But Ruby wanted to know what she and Weiss did between those two videos that was so 'awesome.' So instead of backing away from the past - which she rarely, if ever, did anymore - she kissed Weiss on the lips and smiled.

"I totally want to know!"

"Are you sure?"

"Weiss!"

Raising her hand in defeat, Weiss nodded towards the tablet still in Ruby's hand. After Ruby handed it over, Weiss attached it to the base before kneeling down and opening the small side panel in the base of the podium. The hollowed-out interior housed wires and various control panels that Ruby had checked out and tinkered with several times, so she watched with immense curiosity when Weiss pulled out a small maintenance keypad and started entering numbers.

"The day we met," Weiss murmured while inputting the date. "Our anniversary, our first kiss, our...other first, and the random day you picked so it would be 'hack proof.'"

Once Weiss finished the string of numbers (which Ruby committed to memory for future use), a menu popped up on the screen of the tablet. When Ruby stepped closer to look at it, she found that the pop-up was a list of videos - all of the videos she hadn't know she was missing.

"I recommend that you view these...discreetly…" Weiss said, her cheeks much redder than usual. She met Ruby's gaze for only a second before looking away, clasping her hands in front of her and looking unsure about what to do now.

Ruby, meanwhile, wasted no time pressing 'play' on the first entry on the list and watching the screen spring to life. As usual, it was her and Weiss in the combat room in their combat outfits. It looked like a simulation was about to start, but then -

But then -

As Ruby's cheeks reached a shade of atomic-red, she confirmed why these videos were hidden and then hidden before being hidden. They should not be seen by anyone but her and Weiss.

But Ruby was on the 'gets to watch' list, and she was pretty dang happy about that at the moment.

"Uh...can I take these with me?" Ruby asked, pressing pause and gesturing towards the screen.

"Yes?"

Snatching the tablet from the stand, Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand and pulled the stunned girl towards the stairs.

"Ruby - are you really going to watch those?"

"Yup!" Glancing over her shoulder, Ruby grinned at the shocked expression on Weiss' face. "I've got more studying to do!"

With this information at her fingertips, she'd know all of Weiss' tells in no time...