-Three months since Whitley's meeting with Jaune-
Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, laid in her bed. The last few months have been rocky for her to say the least. She had never felt more alone. Winter was unavailable, her father was a bastard, her mother a mess, and Whitley was stonewalling her.
She had tried her best to find a path to follow. Tried her best to impress her father with her voice. Tried her best to stir something in her mother. Yet, her actions were nothing but frivolous wastes of time. Her only option left was to follow Winter's path.
Weiss would be a hero. Someone Winter could be proud of. Her parents would be forced to acknowledge her talents. To no longer look upon her as just the spare child. To no longer see her as Winter's replacement.
Weiss pulled herself out from underneath her bed covers. She draped a small blanket over her shoulders as she headed to the window of her room. Heavy snow, her final winter before forging a new path.
Her gaze lingered on the outside world dotted in snow. Weiss had a perfect view of the back of the estate from her room. A recent addition to the yard caught her eyes. A firing range created for the personal use of her brother. A flash of jealousy and regret gripped her heart.
Weiss had thought Whitley was lost to her. She had thought his heart had frozen under the harsh grip of their father. She had been proven wrong. One butler, it took one butler. Whitley had smiled more times in the last few months than she had seen him in years.
Weiss pressed a single hand against her glass window. The cold of the outside world spread down her fingertips. A part of her knew she should have done more for her brother. Knew she could have been for him what Winter was to her. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do so.
Weiss had too much on her plate to handle. Her father was grooming her to be the heir after Winter's falling out with him. She had all those hours of singing practice to attend in her pursuit of becoming a singer. All those hours she spent with Winter in her youth to practice her martial prowess. Whitley had fallen to the wayside. It took a new member of the staff for her to even notice it.
Her lack of actions regarding Whitley was lamentable. Even buried in her regrets, she couldn't bring herself to take action now. It simply would not be fair with her current plans. Why would she try to repair her relationship with Whitley only to then leave him behind to become a Huntsman? No, such interference would be pointless. The butler was already completing a duty she had long forsaken.
Soft knocking at her door broke her out of her spiraling mood. She tightened her grip on the blanket draping her shoulder as she headed to the door. She wordlessly cracked the door open, only to see someone she didn't know how to treat. The blonde butler stood in the hallway holding a serving platter with a single steaming mug.
"Good morning, Miss Schnee. I have prepared one morning cocoa to assist you in fighting off this dreadful cold," he spoke with a smile.
Weiss stared into his eyes, "Your real reason for being here? Are you not the personal servant of Whitley?"
His smile wavered, "Master Whitley stayed up rather late last night attending personal tutoring. I thought it would be best for him to sleep in during the holiday. May I enter?"
"You may, I suppose. I do appreciate the hot chocolate, but I would rather you get to the point of this visit. Speak your mind, I owe you that much at least," her last words were whispered under her breath.
Jaune entered her room, placing the mug of hot chocolate at the small table next to her armchair before moving back to the door. Weiss moved away from the door to take a seat at the armchair near her bookshelf. She sipped from the warm mug as she waited to hear the words of the man who did what she could not.
The butler lowered his gaze to his feet as he fidgeted with his suit, "I have a single request. Whitley wishes to spend the turning of the year within the entertainment room today. I have already started preparations, including filling a slow cooker with hot cocoa. Would you please join us?"
Weiss nearly lost her grip on the mug, "Excuse me? Are you making this request on behalf of my brother?"
Jaune shook his head in denial, "No, I am making it for entirely selfish reasons. I don't believe I have ever personally introduced myself to you. I'm Jaune Arc, butler of Whitley Schnee."
Weiss placed the mug down, "I am clearly already aware of your position. What I want you to tell me is your motives behind this request."
He didn't raise his gaze from his feet, "As I said, my reasons are entirely selfish. I'm a Mountain Glenn orphan. I was young, but not young enough to forget what it meant to spend a holiday beside family. I just don't want either of you two to have regrets."
Weiss's mind reeled at both implications behind his message. Before her was someone truly alone in the world. Someone who never got the opportunity to make the same mistakes she did. He was implying there was at least some possibility she could do something to stave off her regrets.
Weiss's voice was quiet as she spoke, "Would he even accept my presence? I was under the impression he would rather spend his day with someone he enjoys being around."
Jaune raised his head, "I can't say with absolute certainty. Whitley can be a stubborn kid when he gets his mind focused on something. He's been practicing his marksmanship like crazy. What I can say is he's stubborn enough to not let you interrupt a chance to play video games in the entertainment center during a cold winter day."
The warmth of the mug called to her as she considered his words, "You believe it would be worth my time to make this attempt? I hate to say this, but you are more familiar with him than I am at this time."
"Absolutely, without a single doubt in my heart. Think of the here and now, not the past or the future. Don't you want to spend the holiday with your brother? Wouldn't you want your sister to spend the turning of a new year with you?"
Weiss's thoughts immediately turned to Winter. Where was she now? Was she even spending the holiday with anyone? Her heart ached as she thought about how much she would surrender to have Winter here sharing a hot cocoa at her side. She would have to send Winter a message later.
"You're right. I would spend today with Winter in a heartbeat. I believe it's only fair I give the same consideration when it comes to Whitley. When do you wish for me to attend?"
A large cheerful smile grew on the face of the butler, "Thank you. This really means a lot. I plan to wake up Whitley exactly one hour from now. I will prepare you both breakfast at the entertainment room. We will have a simmering pot of hot cocoa to drink all day as well."
Weiss closed her eyes to recenter herself, "Very well. I- I also wish to thank you. Continue serving Whitley as you have."
Weiss heard the door to her room close as the butler left her with his parting words, "To the best of my ability."
Weiss could not recall the last time she felt this nervous as she stood outside the entertainment room door. Her anxiety during her first stage performance was the only comparison she could fairly draw. Her tether with Whitley was surely frayed, yet she was given a lifeline. Today may be her last opportunity to restore her connection with her younger sibling before she departs in the coming months.
Weiss steeled herself, attempting to wrangle her nerves. She took a breath before opening the door to the entertainment room. She froze in the doorway as she witnessed just how much the room itself changed over the course of the last few months. She was aware Whitley had claimed the room for himself. Weiss was just not prepared for the sheer extent of the changes.
Her father's long neglected pool and poker tables were gone. The center of the room contained a large "L" shaped couch off to the side. Two recliners were set directly in front of a huge television, which was currently showing some type of changing colorful background along with the words "Press Start". Near the television, a fire roared in the old untouched fireplace. At the very back of the room was what she could only assume to be several arcade cabinets of some sort.
Weiss's gaze finally reached the two individuals within the room. Along the leftmost wall, a large serving table was laid out. Atop the serving table was a variety of appliances. She could see Jaune in front of the slow cooker filling up a large mug for her brother. Her brother had a warm smile on his face as he spoke to the butler.
"Your ability in racing games is still utterly abysmal. How have you still not figured out how to drift around corners?"
The butler shrugged, "It just doesn't click right for me. I always drift too soon or too late. You have a way better eye for those turns than I do."
"Yet, instead of making the attempt to learn, you turn to such dirty tactics. Going backwards down the track to interrupt others... Have you no shame?"
Jaune grinned, "It won you the match didn't it?"
"Indeed, and it won you the ire of six other players," Whitley took the mug from the butler before finally turning around.
Weiss watched her brother's warm smile slip into the blank mask she was all too familiar with. He had smothered the joy he freely wore around the butler. She needed to say something. Needed to interrupt the awkward atmosphere. Just as she was about to speak, the voice of the butler interrupted the stalemate.
"Good morning, Miss Schnee. Would you care for a mug of hot cocoa? We also have waffles currently being cooked as well," he pointed over to some strangely shaped appliance on the serving table.
Whitley spoke coldly just after him, "Weiss, I was told you would be joining today's festivities with me and my butler. Accept his offer, he is our host."
Weiss shut the door behind her as she entered the room, "In that case, I will graciously accept your offer."
Whitley kept his gaze on her as the butler seemingly ignored the tension, "One hot mug of cocoa. Why don't you two play a round without me? The waffles are almost done and I have to put some toppings on them."
Her brother grimaced, "I assure you, she has never picked up a controller in her life. Weiss has no interest in such a trivial hobby."
Jaune disregarded her brother's words, "Everyone started from scratch at some point. Can't you at least show her the ropes? Or are you afraid she'll beat you to the finish line with beginner's luck?"
Weiss looked between both of them before speaking, "I have no reason to not at least try your game once. Who knows, perhaps I'll have a natural aptitude for it."
Her brother seemed to take her words as a challenge, "We shall see, Weiss. We shall see. The controllers are on the recliners. I will show you the basic controls. The rest, you can learn on your own."
Weiss followed Whitley over to the two recliners centered in front of the giant television. True to his words, a controller was left on the seats of the recliner. She placed her mug on the coffee table near the recliner before picking up one of the controllers. She fiddled around with her grip on the controller while Whitley did something to change the display on the television.
She watched Whitley fiddle with his own controller before the large display was split into two separate screens. A variety of cute racing karts were available on both halves of the screen.
She turned to Whitley, "How do I select the dark blue vehicle?"
Whitley's emotionless facade dropped for just a second, replaced by disbelief, "The left stick on the controller. Push it to the right until you highlight your chosen go-kart."
Weiss followed the instruction, pushing the stick until it highlighted the vehicle. She looked at the flashing options just under the kart. One showed an image of a button on the controller along with text prompting her to press the button in order to save her selection. She pressed down on the button to lock in her selection.
Whitley immediately made a snide comment, "You are truly a one of a kind prodigy to figure that one out on your own."
A flash of anger surged within Weiss. She was just about to make her displeasure known when the butler beat her to it, "Whitley, play nice. You said it yourself, she has no idea what she's doing."
Weiss looked over her shoulder to see him sitting at a folded chair near the strange waffle machine on the serving table. She nodded to him before turning her gaze back to Whitley.
She couldn't help herself, "Are you going to make your choice before the year ends?"
Her brother ignored her in favor of making his selection. Some type of purple vehicle. The screen changed once more to a new series of options. Whitley picked a mystery sign from the variety of pictures presented. He turned to her and lifted his controller.
"Pay attention. This button here is the gas, hold it to go forward. This button is the brake, hold it to come to a stop or tap it to help you turn smoothly around corners. Use the stick to control where exactly you go. Anything else, you will have to learn on your own."
Whitley's instructions seemed simple enough to her. She turned her attention back to the television. Some type of count down was occurring. Heeding Whitley's words, Weiss began to hold the gas button down. Right when the countdown ended, her vehicle started to emit smoke while Whitley's vehicle zoomed ahead.
He smirked at her, "Rookie mistake. You held the gas too soon during the countdown. The lock up should be over now."
Weiss held the gas button down again and her vehicle began to move forward down the track, "I will remember to not do so next time."
Weiss glanced at Whitley's side of the screen to see what exactly she should be doing next. She looked at his hands for a few brief moments before going back to her own side of the screen. Weiss followed his example by tapping the brake button as she neared a turn. Her vehicle just barely managed to clear the corner without hitting any of the barriers.
Jaune laughed from behind them, "Man, I'm really bad at doing those sharp turns. Good job, Weiss. Already doing better than I did during my first run."
Her confidence was renewed by his words, "I think I am growing used to the controls. The turning did not seem difficult."
Whitley reclined his chair before providing his unnecessary commentary, "It would be depressing if it was. We rolled a beginner's track on the map selection. You can finish those track types just by bumping against the walls."
Weiss focused on her screen, "I refuse to use such a brainless option. I just need to follow the track, correct? It does not seem difficult to prevent myself from drifting off course."
Whitley grumbled out an answer, "Of course, following the track is the only way to reach the finishing line. I really should have manually selected the stage."
"So you could throw her at the hardest map in the game? I won't forget how you introduced me to this, Whitley. I spent a good ninety percent of my time stuck in the recovery animation from falling off the stage."
Whitley grinned, "It was entirely worth it to see you fumble at taking those corners. I recall you having an easier time on the lower difficulty maps after the fact. Even if you are still rough around the edges with your turning, you have improved."
Weiss maintained her steady pace down the track as the two spoke. She was still not completely comfortable with the controller, but she was growing used to using the buttons she needed to use. A map on her screen showed Whitley was already far ahead of her. She would need to bide her time for a chance at victory. Next map, she would try to get ahead of him on the next map.
Three maps. It took three entire maps of her playing with Whitley before she even came close to reaching his vehicle. The following maps after the first were much too difficult for her. The amount of obstacles along the path made veering off the course a near constant concern. Instead of pushing for the impossible, she used those maps to watch Whitley's inputs.
Weiss had picked up on a certain strategy her brother was abusing to stay ahead. It seemed if you drifted for long enough, you received a speed increase. The overview of the next map showed a straightforward enough track. Now was the moment she had been waiting for. Weiss watched the countdown, timing her press of the gas button at the right moment.
Her vehicle pulled up right next to Whitley's. Seeing an opportunity, she pushed her kart against his to keep him near the track barrier. It would prevent him from abusing his drifting strategy. He tried to pull ahead multiple times, only for her to push him back against the barrier.
"Weiss, this is seriously obnoxious. Stop ramming against me," he sounded angry.
She remained right up against his vehicle, "No, I don't think I will. What did you say earlier? You can finish certain tracks just by bumping against the walls. We are going to put your claim to the test."
Every time Whitley tried to push ahead, she pushed him back into the wall. He tried to be sneaky a few times and brake to get away from her. It did not work out for him as she just remained ready to shove him back against the track whenever he tried to get ahead of her. They were getting close to finishing the track.
Jaune whistled, "Weiss has you pinned pretty hard. Tough to get out of that without more players on the track. You might have to throw in the towel on this one."
Whitley was frowning, "I will not lose to such a barbaric strategy. What an absolute oversight for small lobbies."
Whitley went to brake to get away from her once more. It was at this moment Weiss decided to no longer pin him against the wall. Rather, he fell just far enough back for her to pull even further ahead through a drift. She copied his earlier drifting technique to the best of her ability.
The distance between the two proved to be too much for Whitley to clear as she gained the speed boost from the execution of the maneuver. Weiss crossed the finish line in first place. She calmly placed the controller down and turned her head to look at her brother.
"It's my win, isn't it? I must say, this game of yours was easier than I initially thought it would be."
Whitley did not respond immediately. He fell quiet for some time before speaking, "Beginner's luck. We shall see who wins the next track."
Weiss had completely lost track of time competing with Whitley. The early morning sunlight was long replaced by the darkness of night. Endless servings of waffles and hot cocoa had been consumed between races throughout the day. The two competed until they finished all the tracks the game had to offer a dozen times. Whitley barely pulled ahead in total track victories.
Weiss's hands felt sore as she finally put the controller down for good, "I admit defeat. This was more enjoyable than I expected."
Whitley put his controller down, "It's not fair. It took me so long to learn how to play this right. How did you pick up on things so fast?"
The butler lounging on the "L" shaped couch pointed at Whitley, "You taught her. Didn't you notice? A lot of her play style was adopted from your own strategies. She's been picking them up all day."
Weiss confirmed the butler's words, "I would not have adapted as well as I did without watching your own inputs. Do you two play these types of games all the time?"
She had to admit, the game was enjoyable. Weiss could see why Whitley adopted this particular hobby. He seemed to be just as competitive as her, so this must be his choice in feeding his need to win.
Whitley answered, "Racing games? The two of us rarely play racing games in comparison to other genres. Jaune is rather weak at them. I dare say, you could beat him."
"She could for sure. I just don't enjoy them as much as fighting games or action games. Makes me try to make my own fun and that leads to angry messages from other players."
"You receive harassment from other players?" Weiss was baffled by his response.
Whitley laughed, "Well deserved, I assure you. Jaune is the worst type of player. His idea of 'making his own fun' is going backwards down the track to crash and interrupt other players."
"Well, this scumbag of a player wants to know if either of you are ready for tonight's main event," the butler sat up from his position on the couch.
Weiss and Whitley both spoke at the exact same time, "Main event?"
The two glanced at each other in confusion. Weiss wasn't sure what the butler was referring to. Whitley obviously shared her lack of context behind Jaune's words.
"Yep! I have an end of year traditional gift for both of you. Man, I don't remember the last time I had a chance to actually give an end of the year gift. Might have been when I was twelve, maybe? Both of you, wait here," he stood up before leaving the entertainment room.
Weiss turned to her brother, "A gift? Were we supposed to have gifts prepared?"
Whitley hesitated, "Jaune was very vague about what was planned for today. He did not inform me he would be preparing gifts."
Regret tingled down her spine, "I would have prepared something for both of you. We haven't exchanged gifts since Winter's departure."
Weiss and Whitley fell quiet as they waited for the butler's return. She did not know what to expect from the teen. Whitley surely had a better read on him, yet he seemed just as baffled. It would seem they were stuck with guessing until he presented his gifts.
A few minutes passed before he returned with two medium sized wrapped packages. The packages appeared to be around the size of a shoe box at a glance. Both presents were wrapped in white wrapping paper. One package had a purple bow while the other was topped with a blue bow.
He placed the blue bow topped present in front of her and the purple bow topped present in front of Whitley, "Before you two open those, I want to say a few things."
Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I'll try to get my point across. I never grew up with a real family. I was really close to some people in my youth. Those three… I probably could call them the closest to family I could ever have. Those days were some of my best and worst. I reflected on those days a lot when the four of us were separated. It made me realize just how important having people close to you was."
His voice cracked, "I was by myself for a long time after that. I would work and go home not looking forward to much else. I felt like I would never get anywhere, felt like I was left adrift. Whitley, you threw me a lifeline I didn't know I needed. I finally had something to look forward to between work days. You reminded me what it was like to have someone else around."
A few tears fell from his eyes, "You reminded me too much of myself at my worst, Whitley. It felt like if I ever made a misstep, you would have sealed yourself off completely. I didn't realize how much alike we were until I picked up on your family situation. Siblings, real siblings shouldn't be so divided. You two... Come on, you're family. Don't throw away your bond. You'll regret it. Every. Single. Day."
Today was the first day Weiss witnessed Whitley's composure crumble as he glanced between her and Jaune, "It's not my fault how things ended up! Weiss never gave me a chance. It was always Winter this, Winter that. I'm not Winter and I'm not Father!"
Weiss's eyes burned, "Whitley... I've been trying lately. You've been ignoring every single one of my approaches."
"Yeah, I did ignore you! You're just planning to run away just like Winter. Planning to leave me alone with Father and Mother. Did you even consider that? Did you even notice Father increasing his personal lessons with me? He's sent in paperwork to pull me out of the academy, Weiss! You should be able to guess his next plans!"
No, was she too distracted to notice? She quickly pieced together Whitley's words. Father was truly a bastard. The moment she leaves the household, he will surely throw the heirship to Whitley. He would begin to mold him into the perfect SDC heir he desired beyond anything else.
"Whitley... I'm so sorry. I ignored you in favor of my own pursuits. I should have had you at my side. Should have treated you like Winter treated me growing up. I haven't been a good sister, have I?"
Whitley rubbed at his own eyes, "No, you haven't. I haven't been a good brother either. I should have warned you of Father earlier. I didn't even consider that you might have overlooked his recent moves. Weiss... if you leave he will never let you be the heir."
"I can't turn back now. I've invested so much already into becoming a Huntsman. I want to save people, Whitley. I will never resent you for becoming the heir over me. Just promise me, you won't become another Jacques."
"Never! I will never turn into him. I would die before becoming a monster like him or a failure like Mother."
Weiss leaned from her chair to wrap Whitley into a hug. She couldn't remember the last time she gave him a hug. The realization hurt her deeply, causing her to hug him even harder. It took some time for the three to recover from their revelations.
Jaune cleared his throat, "I would really appreciate it if you two opened those gifts before the year ends. I had to jump through a number of hoops to get your gifts."
Whitley seemed subdued as he slowly opened the present in his lap. Weiss followed his example and began to unwrap her own. The torn wrapping exposed a digital combination locked case of some sort with the numbers zero to twenty six present. Whitley seemed to have the same.
"Oh, sorry. Code for Whitley's is 00-14-05-15 and your code is 01-04-01-13. I'll help you both change it later."
Weiss inputted the combination and the case opened with a click. She was surprised to see a Huntsman grade revolver. She gently lifted it from the case to inspect it.
Most of the revolver was colored a dark black, only interrupted by a large white crescent shape on the handle. She glanced over to see Whitley holding the same exact revolver. The only difference was the crescent being on a different side of the gun.
The butler grinned at both of them, "Two halves to form a greater whole. Twin revolvers, try holding them up together."
Whitley and Weiss pressed their revolver handles together. Combined, the two revolvers formed a bright moon. Weiss was speechless as she held the revolver in her grasp. This was not a cheap gift. A customized Huntsman weapon was not something a civilian could easily afford.
Whitley seemed to share her thoughts, "Jaune! Are you insane? Please tell me you didn't throw all the paychecks you earned here into these."
He laughed, "Of course I didn't! I also had to add some of my savings from the arcade. Don't worry about it though. I want you both to accept your gifts. Just... Please don't forget my words. Isolating yourself from those closest to you, it's not easy. It hurts more than anything else. Both of you, avoid those regrets."
Weiss lowered the revolver, "I will never forget what you've said today. Do you mind taking a family photo of Whitley and I with my scroll? I would like to have this memory forever," she also wanted to send it to Winter with a few choice words about their messy family situation.
Jaune took her scroll from her and snapped a few pictures of both her and Whitley posing with the revolvers.
"Can you join us for a picture as well? Set my scroll for a timed photo."
Whitley spoke up, "Please join us. I have much to thank you for over these last few months. To be honest, I've seen treating you as if you were my older sibling all along."
The butler's voice was filled with warmth, "You guys... You really remind me of the old days. I'd be happy to join you. Give me a moment."
Jaune complied, propping the scroll up enough to capture the two recliners and the space between the chairs. He hurried over and posed between both siblings for the photo. The flashing light of the scroll covered Whitley, Weiss, and Jaune just as the clock struck midnight.
AN: A "one shot" inspired by a scrapped fanfic of mine. Thank you for taking the time to read this. A1Z26.