Chapter Thirteen: Comeback Kid
Ruby stirred her cereal in slow, lazy circles, listening to Yang complain about how "B-Train," Yang's latest fixation, wouldn't open up to her. They'd been at it since the start of breakfast and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. Yang had a lot of feelings bottled up and it was usually up to Ruby to help uncap them. But did Yang realize she was talking like she was low-key in love with this mysterious new woman in her life? Ruby was no love expert, but even she could see the signs.
Yang could go on about Blake for hours if Ruby let her. She was happy for her, truly, but by the one hour mark and some seriously soggy cereal, Ruby was begging for the universe to intervene and save her.
Ding!
Thank you! Ruby picked up her scroll and eagerly read Weiss' message. "Hey, Yang?" Ruby said. "Can we put a pause on the convo real quick? Weiss needs to call me."
"Plus she's—" Yang stopped her pantomiming and waggled her eyebrows with a suggestive look on her face. Ruby felt a deep sense of dread and sure enough, she was right because in true typical Yang fashion, she said, "Sure thing, lady killer. Get dat MILF!"
As much as she appreciated her sister's support, there were times where Ruby wished she could shove her in the closet and lock the door for a few minutes at most.
Ruby rolled her eyes and called Weiss. She answered immediately and thanked Ruby for such a quick response, but there was something noticeably off about her.
"Hey, everything okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked, her brows furrowed together in worry. "You sound stressed. Like, pulling out your hair stressed."
"That's because I am," Weiss replied with a tired, heavy sigh. Ruby could hear her pacing which was never a good sign. "I need a favour," Weiss said after a brief pause. "It's sort of major, but you're the only one I can trust with this."
"Sure, anything," Ruby said without any hesitation.
"Can you watch Chrys today?" Weiss asked.
Ruby let out the breath she'd been holding, her body sagging with relief. She was worried the world was going to end by how grave Weiss sounded. All she needed was a babysitter—then again, that was a cause for concern.
"No problem, but I thought she had a ton of lessons today?" Ruby was still trying to wrap her head around the fact Weiss' daughter would rather go to school than spend her weekend relaxing.
"She does… well, she did." Weiss stopped her pacing and pulled out a chair, finally sitting down. She let out a long, aggravated sigh and explained, "She caught a cold. It isn't bad though, just a slight fever and a cough; she just needs to sleep it off."
"I see…"
"Normally, I'd have no problem staying with her, but I have an important meeting today that I can't reschedule."
Ruby looked at the time and said, "If I get dressed and leave now, I think I can be there in an hour."
"Thank you, Ruby! You have no idea how much this means to me," Weiss said, sounding relieved. "I promise to make it up to you."
"It's fiiine, Weiss," Ruby said as she got up and waved to Yang. "I really don't mind. Plus, it'll be good for me and Chrys to spend some one-on-one time together, y'know, 'cause we're..."
"Right. You're right, I suppose," Weiss said after a moment of quiet contemplation.
"Yeah."
"I'll see you in an hour then."
"See ya."
After Weiss hung up, Ruby let out a dreamy sigh. How could someone's voice be so sweet and sexy at the same time? Accents.
"Gawd, you two are disgusting. I think I'm gunna be sick, blegh," Yang said with a finger in her mouth, pretending to gag.
"You're just jealous," Ruby argued, sticking her tongue out. "Why don't you call 'B-Train' if you miss her so much."
Yang scoffed and flipped her the bird. "Fuck off, Rubyn—and don't call her 'B-Train,'" she said, "she'll murder you."
"Just call her already, Yang," Ruby said with a sigh as she left the living room. Why couldn't Yang be more like her and just get the girl—pfft, who was she kidding.
Ruby quickly got dressed, grabbed her backpack, and left to go catch her bus which luckily arrived at the same time she did. And of the three that stopped here, the bus Ruby got on was the one that stopped on Weiss' block. The universe was really looking out for Ruby today—which meant something equally unlucky or awful was about to happen.
Ruby pursed her lips together and prayed for the best.
Getting into Weiss' apartment complex felt like breaking into a high security facility. There were cameras everywhere and a polite, little Gertrude sitting at the front desk with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip coo—
"Robyn, stop staring and come get some," Gertrude said, hailing Ruby to come over.
Ruby smiled at the kind elderly lady and gently corrected her, "It's 'Ruby,' not 'Robyn,' but my friends call me Rubyn… sometimes—like the sandwich."
"Well then, Rubyn, would you like a cookie?"
"I absolutely would!" Ruby said as she leaned against the desk and nabbed the top cookie on the pile. "So how are you this morning, Gertrude?"
"I'm doing well, but my arthritis is giving me some trouble," Gertrude said, rotating her shoulder. "These old bones of mine, I swear."
"The weather?"
"The weather," Gertrude confirmed with a hearty chuckle. "Are you here to see Weiss and that darling girl of hers?"
"That I am, ma'am," Ruby said, wiping away the crumbs on her lips. "Is it cool if I just head up? She's expecting me."
"Go right ahead, dearie," Gertrude replied. "And bring a few cookies with you for Chryssie." Gertrude gave Ruby a tissue with almost all the cookies and nearly gave her the entire plate when she declined the offer. "Don't be shy."
"Gertrude, I can't! What about the other kids in the apartment?"
"Don't you worry about that, Rubyn," Gertrude said, putting another cookie on top of Ruby's teetering pile. "Keep this between you and me, but the kids in this building are all spoiled rotten. The only one that says 'thank you' is little Chryssie. Now that girl knows her manners and deserves the cookies."
Ruby sighed in defeat and nodded her head. She couldn't go against sagely grandma logic. "Okay, you win," Ruby said. "And you're right. Chryssie deserves the cookies. Thank you, Gertrude, I'll let her know these are from you."
"Thank you, now run along, dearie—but no running in the halls!"
"Got it, got it," Ruby grinned, waving Gertrude goodbye.
During the elevator ride up, Ruby snacked on a few more cookies, taking one small bite for every floor she passed.
Twenty floors and three amazing granny cookies later, Ruby stood in front of Weiss' door. She knocked and held her breath, impatiently counting the seconds until she was reunited with her maybe-sorta-girlfriend.
"Ruby," Weiss said with a relieved smile as she opened the door.
"Hey, Wild thing," Ruby said, smiling back at her. "Miss me?"
Weiss shyly brushed some hair behind her ear and closed her eyes, her head tilted slightly. Ruby quirked an eyebrow, wondering what Weiss was doing. But after the world's most awkward second passed, Ruby realized Weiss was asking for a kiss.
Doy, bird brain, you're dating! Ruby eagerly leaned down and kissed Weiss, half-expecting to be pulled down and ravaged as usual. But she was pleasantly surprised when all Weiss did was caress her cheek before breaking the kiss. "Wow…"
"'Wow' indeed," Weiss replied, giving Ruby's nose a little kiss. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"No prob—uh…" Ruby blinked, her jaw slowly going slack. "Poop."
"Ruby?"
"Um," Ruby took a tiny step back and pointed behind Weiss.
"Hu—oh…" Weiss gulped. "Chryssie."
"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted some orange juice," Chrys mumbled, her eyes wide and frightened like she'd seen something she shouldn't have. She hugged her stuffed shark tightly and dipped her head, "I'm… I'm going to go back now."
"Chryssie, wait." Weiss shot Ruby an apologetic smile and switched back to mom mode, leaving Ruby at the door to get Chrys her juice.
Ruby let herself in, closing the door behind her as quietly as possible, and slowly took off her shoes and jacket to buy some time. Chrys hadn't said a word and either did Weiss, making everything ten times more awkward for everyone in the room.
"Okay, uh," Ruby said as she carefully approached Weiss, "damage control—what can I do?"
"Bonjour, Ruby," Chrys said.
Ruby cracked a shy smile and, in her best Eastern Atlesian accent, said, "Bonjour."
Chrys giggled at the sad attempt, and even though she was smiling, she still looked apprehensive.
"Sooo… uh," Ruby rubbed her hands together, suddenly acutely aware of the weight on her back and shoulders. Were her textbooks always this heavy or was her mind trying to find an escape by focusing on everything except for the matter at hand?
"Chryssie, we…" Weiss nervously bit her bottom lip and sighed, her shoulders sagging from the burden she carried. "Ruby and I are—"
"Dating?" Chrys said without batting an eye.
"Um…" Weiss looked at Ruby then back at Chrys. "We're seeing each other, yes, but—"
"Okay," Chrys said flatly. "May I go back to my room?"
"Yes, you may," Weiss replied in the same stiff tone Chrys used.
Chrys finished the last of her juice and wordlessly returned to her room, quietly closing the door behind her.
"Well, that totally wasn't awkward," Ruby whispered, releasing the breath she'd been holding. She wrapped an arm around Weiss' shoulders and kissed her temple, hoping to snap Weiss out of shock. "Are you okay?"
Weiss wrapped her arms around herself and leaned into Ruby's embrace, her head resting in the crook of Ruby's neck. "I'll be okay…" she murmured. "Just… just hold me for a second, please?"
"I can do that," Ruby said, wrapping her other arm around Weiss' waist, careful not to get any crumbs on Weiss' clothes.
"Are those cookies?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah, Gertrude gave 'em to me," Ruby answered. "These are for Chrys. I ate mine in the elevator—by the way, if you're afraid of heights, why live on the twentieth floor?"
"So I don't have to deal with upstairs neighbours," Weiss replied, taking one of the cookies. "I'm going to go check on Chrys, you settle in. And Ruby?"
"Yeah, Weiss?"
"Thank you for being here."
Ruby dropped her backpack by the foot of the couch and dropped herself face first into the plush cushions. She smelted into the couch with one arm leg hanging off like a lazy cat on a branch. A quiet giggle broke the silence.
"Chryssie, that you?" Ruby asked.
"Mhm," Chrys replied as she sat on the floor close to Ruby's face.
Ruby looked up at her and smiled, relieved to see some life back in the girl. "You want on the couch?"
"No, I just wanted to thank you for the cookie," Chrys said.
"It's no problem, but the cookie was from Gertrude so be sure to thank her when you see her next," Ruby said, patting the girl's head. "She really likes you, almost gave me the whole plate."
"That's because I'm her favourite," Chrys beamed.
"Well, you're my favourite too, sunshine."
Chrys smiled but it slowly began to fade as the seconds marched on. "Can we talk after Mama leaves for work?"
That put Ruby on high alert. This didn't sound good at all, but she put on a brave face and said, "Sure thing, kiddo."
Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.
"I'm going to go take a nap now," Chrys said with a yawn. She patted Ruby's head and left her to wallow in existential dread because what else can you do when your maybe-sorta-girlfriend's daughter catches you kissing her mother?
Ruby dropped her face back into the couch and groaned. The universe did not have her back. It was all a trap. A devious, dastardly trap meant to lure Ruby into a sense of false security and—
"Huh, you know, Nicole used lie on the couch just like that whenever she felt the world was too much."
Ruby shot out of the couch, her heart beating a million miles a minute. "Weiss, holy taco, wear a bell!" she yelped in fright. "I—whoa… you look…"
"Amazing? Breathtaking? Beautiful beyond compare?" Weiss offered with one hand on her hip and the other going through her hair.
"Um," Ruby gulped, "all that and more."
She got off the couch and stood in front of Weiss, smitten like she'd been shot with Cupid's arrow. Weiss was dressed to kill in her signature black and gold pantsuit. The matching murder heels were missing, but Ruby could see them waiting patiently by the door next to Weiss' fuzzy shark slippers. But even without them on, and ignoring the fact Weiss was under five foot tall, she was an intimidating person to behold.
"Damn…" Ruby said, snaking her arms around Weiss' thin waist, "you looking to murder someone? 'cause I think you just did me in."
Weiss smiled as she folded her hands behind Ruby's neck. "You are such a flirt, Ruby Rose," she said, pulling her down for a kiss."
"Wait," Ruby said, pause mere inches away from Weiss' cherry stained lips, "Chrys?"
"Out cold. Also, make sure she takes another dose of her cold medicine after lunch; it's in the fridge," Weiss replied, brushing her lips against Ruby's teasingly with each word. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Ruby replied, finally giving in to her desires.
She kissed Weiss, innocently at first, but with a little prodding, eased into something more adult. Weiss' kiss tasted fresh and minty, clashing with Ruby's sweet cookie aftertaste. Something was different about this kiss though. It didn't have the same wanton energy as the ones they shared before. It was slow, patient, and passionate, like Weiss was trying to get to know her; it was nice not feeling like prey for once.
When they broke for air, Ruby rested her forehead against Weiss' and said, "Something's different about you?"
"Good different or bad?"
"Good different," Ruby confirmed. "I like it."
Weiss gave her a noncommittal hum as she slipped out of the embrace to put her shoes on. Not wanting to be separated just yet, Ruby followed after Weiss with her hands stuffed into her pockets.
"Are you going to keep your hair down today?" Ruby asked.
"No," Weiss said, brushing her hair back. "Neptune's going to work his magic."
"Ah…" Ruby nodded.
"Have a style in mind?"
Ruby blushed, embarrassed by how easily she was caught. She nodded shyly and said, "I wouldn't mind seeing you with your done in that braid again—y'know, the one with your bangs styled back?"
"Ah, Neptune's famous 'Ice Queen' look," Weiss said, standing five inches taller. She turned back to Ruby and kissed her cheek, leaving a little something behind. "Oh, you've got a little—here, let me get that off."
"Aw," Ruby pouted when the stain was removed. Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "I wanted to take a picture of that."
Weiss rolled her eyes and left another mark. "Don't let Chrys see that," she warned.
"I won't," Ruby grinned.
Weiss had a few more things to do before she was ready to leave for work so Ruby waited on the couch and caught up on her reading.
"Ruby," Weiss called from the kitchen.
"Yeah?"
"I'm leaving some money on the table so you can order some food when Chrys wakes up."
"Okay."
"Ruby."
"Hm?"
"Could you come here for a sec?"
"Sure thing." Ruby set her book aside and walked up to Weiss.
"You are too adorable for your own good sometimes," Weiss said as she scritched the underside of Ruby's chin.
Ruby's eyes slowly closed as she melted in Weiss' hand. "That feels nice," Ruby moaned, loving how Weiss' long nails scratched with just the right amount of pressure. "Right there… a little slower…"
"And that's enough of that!" Weiss said, ripping her hand away like Ruby was made of fire. She cleared her throat and mussed with her hair, a cute little blush gracing her fair skin. "A-Anyway, Ruby, here's a list of people you can call in case of an emergency and some of the things Chrys likes to eat."
Ruby scanned the list and smiled when she saw her own number below Ciel's. "Weiss…" she looked up at her maybe-sorta-girlfriend, "I'm honoured."
"Don't take it lightly, Ruby," Weiss said, running her hand through Ruby's hair. "I am trusting you with my whole world."
"I'll take good care of her, Weiss," Ruby said. "I promise."
After one last check up on Chrys and some final instructions like how to work the intercom, Ruby saw Weiss to the door. But before she left, Weiss stopped and asked her a question.
"Since you don't want me to pay you," she said, smoothing out some of the flyaway hairs on Ruby's head, "what can I get you in exchange?"
Ruby thought long and hard—a good five seconds at most—and said, "How about you with a side of fries and a milkshake?"
"That can be arranged," Weiss purred, leaning in to give Ruby a goodbye kiss. Ruby didn't miss the signal this time and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Weiss crinkled her nose. "You are such a tease."
"Am I a flirt or a tease?" Ruby asked, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed so Weiss could see her tattoo in plain view.
"Y-You can be both and so much more," Weiss replied with a deep blush. "Like annoying for instance."
"I can also be a nuisance," Ruby grinned.
"They mean the same," Weiss deadpanned.
"Meaning I can be twice as annoying!"
"So I've learned." Weiss rolled her eyes and kissed Ruby one last time. "I'll call around lunch time."
Ruby nodded her head, chasing after Weiss' lips for another quick kiss. When she met nothing but air, Ruby pouted. "Aw."
"Save some of that for later, okay?"
"Fiiiiine."
With Weiss gone and Chrys fast asleep, Ruby spent her time studying. The material was boring and hard to digest, but she forced herself to focus—even if it did physically pain her to do so. Who knew criminal justice would be so boring and full of legal jargon?
By the four hour mark, Ruby was half dead, her brain fried to a smoldering crisp. She'd been trying to read the same paragraph for the past five minutes but nothing soaked in. Maybe her brain really was fried… chicken…
Ruby's stomach growled at the thought, reminding her that all she had for breakfast was a few spoonfuls of cereal and three cookies.
Groaning, Ruby dropped her book on the floor and stretched out her whole body. She couldn't take it anymore. No more reading. No more memorizing. She needed a break. That was when the universe decided to intervene again.
Ruby's scroll buzzed on the table, nearly rattling off it. She caught it in the nick of time and checked who it was. The message was from an unknown sender.
"Hey, gorgeous, got you a little present."
There was only one person who called Ruby that. "Neptune," she said with smile, firing off a quick greeting before saving his number.
The next message he sent was a photo of Weiss in work mode. There was a definite shift between this and Weiss' soft mom mode. It was in the way she carried herself, tall, poised, and focused but also ruthless and intimidating. Weiss was taking shit from no one and it showed on her face. Her beautiful blue eyes were hard and sharp, like a strict teacher with the sixth sense for student mischief. If Ruby was in the room with her, she wouldn't mind getting a detention.
Ruby gulped when she realized Weiss had her hair done the way Ruby suggested.
"Aw, Weiss…" Ruby said with a goofy grin as she saved the picture and set it as her home screen. She sent Neptune her gratitude and stared at her present like it was the greatest thing she'd ever received.
"You really like my mama, huh?"
"Holy taco!" Ruby yelped, scrambling to catch the scroll she'd tossed by accident.
"S-Sorry…" Chrys apologized.
With her scroll and Neptune's present safe, Ruby breathed out a long sigh of relief. "You and your mom really need to start wearing bells," she said, turning to face Chrys. "She got me the same way you did earlier.
Chrys frowned and said, "I'll be more careful next time."
"No, no…" Ruby said flashing her a small smile, "I should've been more aware of my surroundings. How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Do you want me to replace the fever patch"
"The patch is okay," Chrys said, coughing into a fist. "But I am a little hungry."
"Cool! Me too," Ruby said, getting up from the couch. "You guys have anything in the fridge?"
"I don't know," Chrys said, quietly tailing after Ruby.
Ruby popped the fridge open and hummed as she scanned its contents. Chrys snuck in under her arm and hummed too.
"See anything you want?" Ruby asked.
"Hm… I want soup."
"Soup. Okay. Got anything in the cupboards?"
"You mean, like, canned?" Chrys asked, tilting her head, looking absolutely confused and adorable.
"Er, instant works too, but yeah?"
"Mama doesn't like canned or instant food," Chrys said. "We always order from this one place."
"What place is that?"
"Um, I don't know…"
Ruby scratched her head and thought about her options carefully. There was a lot of fresh and healthy food in the fridge, but nothing ready-made; Ruby didn't trust herself enough in the kitchen to cook for Chrys.
"I can eat something else," Chrys said, coughing. "I think there's some lettuce and salad dressing?" she suggested, intuitively picking up on the fact that her mother's maybe-sorta-girlfriend couldn't cook. "We have some chicken too."
The more time Ruby spent with Chrys, the more she realized the girl was an oddball. When Ruby was her age, she'd be asking for junk food, not salad.
"We also have eggs," Chrys said, pointing to a carton that said extra large, farm fresh organic eggs. "Ruby, if chickens make eggs… doesn't that already mean they're organic?"
"Huh…"
"So what are nonorganic eggs?"
"I… I don't know," Ruby said, looking as confused as Chrys.
Chrys pursed her lips together and thought hard for a second. "Oh! We have some frozen pasta in freezer."
Frozen pasta wasn't bad. And since they had it, it meant Weiss probably approved of it, meaning Ruby could feed it to Chrys without worrying. But would Weiss want Chrys eating something frozen while she was sick?
Chrys looked up at Ruby, her eyes bright and curious.
She deserved something warm and fresh, Ruby decided.
"Pasta?"
"No, no, I think I have an idea," Ruby said, pulling her scroll out from her pocket.
Closing the fridge, Ruby opened her contact list and called "Ass Face." Yang was supposed to be downtown around this time to meet up with Blake for lunch. If Ruby was lucky, and the universe compliant, she'd be able to get her catch her sister in time to pick something up or at least recommend some place healthy.
Yang answered her scroll on the second ring with a friendly "Yellow, yellow."
"Yaaaang, sis, bro," Ruby said, flashing Chrys a smile, "can you do me a solid?"
"Depends," she answered warily.
"Are you downtown—like, close to the cafe?"
"I am."
"Any chance you can pick me and Chrys up some lunch? Weiss is paying."
"Eh... sure, why not," Yang said with a sigh. "I'm actually here right now trying get some lunch. Blake had to cancel."
"Aw, I'm sorry, Yang," Ruby said, pulling out a chair for Chrys.
"It's cool," Yang said. "The Ice Queen's palace isn't too far from here is it?"
"Nope, it's actually within walking distance, I'll send you the address."
"Kay, cool. Now tell me what you want quick because I'm almost at the front of the line."
Ruby spent the next few minutes running Chrys through the menu and relaying what she wanted back to Yang. Ruby asked for her usual lunch order and ended the call with a bunch of thank-you's, she also texted Yang Weiss' address before she could forget. But once the dust settled and both Ruby and Chrys were seated with nothing else to distract them, that awful sense of dread from earlier came back with a vengeance and bitch slapped Ruby hard.
Shit, Ruby thought when she felt Chrys' piercing blue eyes on her. "Um, so… we," Ruby fumbled for words, but everything died on her tongue. Chrys was waiting patiently, her hard, immovable stare just like her mother's. "You probably have some questions for me, huh?" Ruby said, her ody growing tense and rigid. "Well, go for it."
"Do you like my mama?" Chrys asked, going straight for the jugular.
"I do," Ruby answered honestly.
"But do you really, really, really like her?" Chrys stressed.
"I really, really, really, really like her."
Chrys watched her for a moment, searching for a lie she'll never find. Weiss did the same thing to her a few weeks back and it unnerved Ruby just the same, but she had nothing to hide.
"Are you two dating?" Chrys asked.
"Um." Ruby desperately wanted to say they were dating and call Weiss her girlfriend, but they both agreed to wait and test things out before labelling things. "Well, we're seeing each other, but we're not dating just yet."
"Are you going on dates with other people then?"
Ruby blinked, floored by the straightforward question. She was talking to a nine-year-old and not some catty teenager, right? There had to be a mistake here, some wires crossed, or words lost in translation.
Chrys narrowed her eyes, angry that Ruby was taking so long to answer. "Well, are you?"
"No!" Ruby finally blurted out with a heavy blush to accompany it. Chrys' accusatory tone was frightening, but not as scary as the thought of ever cheating on Weiss Adel. "Chrys, your mama is so…" Ruby immaturely giggled at the sentence she chose then quickly apologized when Chrys crossed her arms. "Sorry, lemme rephrase that." Ruby cleared her throat and, in a more mature tone, said, "Your mama is the best. I'd love to say we're dating and officially call her my girlfriend, but I can't because these things take time to figure out. And right now, your mama has a lot to think about. It isn't just about me and her, it's about you too. So until she's ready to make a decision, we're just friends."
"But you two were kissing?"
"Um," Ruby blushed, "you can ask your mama about that one… but can you keep a secret?" Chrys leaned in and eagerly nodded her head. "Your mama kind of scares me… she like no one I've ever met before. She knows exactly what she wants, but I'm so worried I'm not it because I can't keep up with her sometimes."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry," Ruby said, patting Chrys' head, "you'll understand when you're older."
"I'm grown up enough!" Chrys stubbornly said with a pout and furrowed brows.
Ruby grinned at the girl and poked the crinkle on her nose. "You're so much like your mama sometimes."
"I am?" Chrys asked, perking up. "People always tell me I only take after my maman."
"I guess you do on the outside, but I don't know your maman, I only know your mama so maybe I'm seeing things differently."
"How?"
"Well, for starters, you both crinkle your nose the same way," Ruby said, naming the first thing that came to mind. "And your eyes, they're the same colour and shape, but you guys also have the same stare—wait, lemme show you." Ruby showed Chrys the picture Neptune sent and zoomed in on Weiss' face. "See? Right there. When you were grilling me, you had this exact same look."
Chrys looked at the photo and tried to imitate her mother. She even tried to pushed her hair back, but it fell back into place and all over her face when she sneezed.
"You're gunna need some industrial strength hairspray if you wanna copy that style," Ruby chuckled.
They shared a laugh and settled into a comfortable silence.
"My mama is really pretty isn't she?" Chrys said, taking Ruby's scroll to get a better look. "My classmates used to make fun of me because of her."
"Why?"
"I don't know…" Chrys murmured. "Maybe it's because she was really young when she had me."
"I think I was still picking my nose and catching bugs when you were born," Ruby said, scratching her chin as she thought about Weiss. Their age difference didn't matter much now but back then? They might as well have been living in different worlds. "Hey, Chrys?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
"What was your maman like?"
"Oh, she—"
A hard rap on the door stole their attention.
"Yang?" Chrys asked, unknowingly pulling the same look Weiss used whenever she had a question.
Ruby shrugged and got up to check the peephole. Yang was standing on the other side with a large bag in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other.
"Yang, did you use your head to knock on the door?" Ruby asked as she let her sister in.
"Well," she said with a grin, "both my hands are full."
Ruby sighed and pointed to the shoe mat. "Shoes off, sis."
"Right, right," Yang said, handing Ruby the food. She kicked her shoes off and followed Ruby to the table.
"Hi, Yang!" Chrys said, waving both hands. "Thank you for the chocolate! It was really good."
"No problem," Yang said, shooting her a pair of finger guns. "I know you only asked for that cheese croissant and some soup, but I went and ordered you that tea got from your first visit. Honey lemon, right?"
"You did?" Chrys asked, looking at the tray in Ruby's hands. It was the only one in a coffee cup so it was easy to guess which one was hers.
"It's probably cooled down though," Yang said as she pulled out the chair opposite to Chrys'. She took off her jacket and hung it on the backrest before sitting down. "Can we heat it up?" she asked Ruby.
"We can," Ruby said, pointing to the microwave behind Yang.
"That's okay," Chrys interrupted, taking her first sip. "It's still good."
"If you say so," Yang said.
While Ruby dug through the bag, Yang struck up another conversation with Chrys. Ruby paid close attention to them, trying to glean any tips she could off Yang. Between the two of them, Yang handled children the best even though Ruby was the one who volunteered at their old high school.
"And then what happened?" Yang asked, arms crossed over the table with her chin resting on her forearms.
Chrys eagerly copied her with a matching grin too boot and said, "She slipped on some ice and started crying. Ms. Valkyrie saw the whole thing, so when she tried to blame me, Ms. Valkyrie got mad at her instead."
"Aw sweet! Rock on, Nora!" Yang cheered. "Y'know, she never wanted to be a teacher."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Yang said. "Yo, Rubyn, what did Nora say she wanted to be again?"
"Queen of the castle," Ruby answered as she poured Chrys' soup into a bowl and served it to her. It was still piping hot; the trip over had only cooled it slightly.
"No, no, there was another thing," Yang said, grabbing her lunch. She pulled out her Reuben sandwich and bit into it, taking a little more than a third of it in one go. Chrys whispered "whoa" under her breath. "I can take a bigger bite than this, kiddo."
"Please don't," Ruby cut in, remembering the time she broke two of Yang's ribs trying save her from a sandwich. "Chrys, your mom's going to kill me if she ever catches you trying that."
"Don't worry, I know better," Chrys said, stirring her soup.
Yang yelped and clutched her heart in pain. "Critical hit!" she shouted with a hand draped dramatically over her forehead. "Rubyn, remember me—and delete my hard drive."
Ruby sat down and rolled her eyes, completely used to her sister's antics. Chrys seemed to be having fun, though the flush on her cheeks made Ruby worry.
"Chryssie, after lunch, you're going to need to take another dose of your medicine," Ruby said.
"Okay, Ruby," Chrys politely obliged.
After lunch and a dose of the nastiest cough syrup Ruby had ever seen, they gathered on the couch for some video games—which shocked both Ruby and Yang more than it should have. Chrys had laughed so hard she fell into Ruby's lap. She decided to stay there and cuddled up to Ruby as Yang started the game.
"I can't still can't believe the Ice Queen buys video games," Yang said during Ruby's turn with the controller. "Just look at all of these."
"These are Maman's," Chrys said sleepily. "Though, Mama still buys me the ones I want."
"Huh… is that her up there?"
"Mhm."
Yang hummed in thought and crossed her arms. After a few seconds, she let out a frustrated sigh and mussed with her hair. "She looks so familiar. I know I've seen her somewhere, but I can't remember where."
"Might've been in those fashion mags you used to buy," Ruby suggested.
"I guess?" Yang grumbled. "Maybe. Yeah, that has to be it."
The conversation ended there, but neither Ruby nor Yang were happy with the outcome. Chrys had taken her turn and died almost immediately. The monster had shot out of the ground and belly flopped on top of her, sending her character back to camp on the cart of shame. She pouted and handed the controller to Yang, sad that her turn ended so suddenly.
"It's okay, keep trying," Yang said, pushing the controller back to her.
"But I died," Chrys argued.
"It not game over yet is it?"
"No, but…" Chrys looked at Ruby. "Is it really okay?"
"It's more than okay," Ruby said. "Try again."
Chrys ran her character back to where the monster and the rest of her teammates were and, with a little help from Ruby and Yang, came out victorious.
They continued playing until Weiss came home a few hours later with a bag of fast food and what Ruby hoped was a milkshake in the other. Chrys was the first to greet her because she shot off the couch for a hug that Weiss happily returned. When Yang greeted her, Weiss was surprised but warmly welcomed her after Ruby explained what happened.
"Thank you for keeping Chrys company," Weiss said as she walked Chrys back to the couch.
"It's no problem," Yang said. "Sorry I came over unannounced though. It's a nice place you got here. Roomy."
"It's the penthouse," Weiss said with a blush.
Ruby blinked. "I thought penthouses were, like, the whole floor?"
"It is," Weiss said. "I own the other suite."
"Whaa…" both Yang and Ruby said.
Weiss shifted uncomfortably and clapped her hands together. "So!" she said, forcing a smile. "Will you two be joining us for dinner?"
"Ah, no, we couldn't," Yang said. "I think I intruded long enough. Ruby, you staying?"
"I should probably get going too," Ruby said, but Chrys latched onto her and begged her to stay. "Um," Ruby looked at Weiss and accidentally snorted out a laugh when she saw how surprised she was. "We bonded."
"I… can see that," Weiss replied.
"Yang, stay too," Chrys pleaded with the most adorable puppy dog pout Ruby had ever seen.
"Oh, no fair!" Yang whined. "I can't say no to that face—Weiss, tell her to turn it off!"
"I can't," Weiss sighed. "Just say yes to dinner, save us both some trouble."
"But…"
"Pleeeaaaaaaaaaassseeeeee, Yang?" There were tears in Chrys' eyes and her lip quivered like she was about to cry.
"No, no, no, no—fine," Yang said, throwing her arms around Chrys. "You are way too cute. Are you sure Weiss is your mom?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss growled.
Yang shot her a grin as she hugged Chrys tighter. "Just sayin'."
"I might just retract my offer for dinner."
Ruby held back a laugh, not wanting to get caught between her sister and her maybe-sorta-girlfriend. She knew there wasn't any real conflict between them, but it was nice to see where Chrys got her pout.
Yang continued to rib Weiss until she huffed and called Ruby to follow her to the kitchen.
"What's up?" Ruby asked.
"Your reward," Weiss answered, handing Ruby the fast food bag and drink.
"Er, you know I was joking, right?" Ruby said but she still took a sip; chocolate, her favourite. Weiss was quickly becoming the best maybe-sorta-girlfriend ever.
"Yes, well, I wasn't," Weiss smiled, her hands twitching like she wanted to touch Ruby. "I mean it, Ruby. Thank you for watching Chrys and taking such good care of her."
"Naw, it was nothing."
"No, it isn't 'nothing,' " Weiss said, crossing her arms. "You proved I can trust you with her on Halloween. Today was just another point in your favour… and she seems to really like you." Weiss looked past Ruby's shoulder and smiled. "She seems to like your sister a lot too."
Ruby looked back and nodded. "Yeah, Yang's great with kids," she said. "But it's rare for her to be so physical with one. Normally they're too interested in her arm to notice how uncomfortable it makes her, but Chrys hasn't looked or mentioned it once."
"That's because she's used to seeing someone with them," Weiss said. "My sister's employer, a good family friend of ours, has quite a few prosthetics."
"Your life just keeps getting neater and neater," Ruby said with her straw in her mouth. "This is really good by the way, thanks."
"No problem." Weiss leaned in a little and whispered, "You'll get the first half of your reward when we're alone next."
"O-Oh…" Ruby blushed.
"You did say me with a side of fries and a milkshake, right?" Weiss said with a flirty smile.
"Yep," Ruby squeaked out.
"Hey, lovebirds, you two gunna kiss or what?!" Yang shouted from the couch.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Chrys shouted and giggled.
Weiss was aghast. "What did you do?!" she hissed at Ruby, her face redder than a ripe tomato.
"Nothing!" Ruby yelped. "We just talked!"
"About what?!"
"About you and us," Ruby answered. "She was just curious."
Weiss ran a hand through her hair and crinkled her nose, exhaling sharply. "We are going to talk about this in further detail," she said just loud enough for Ruby to hear. "There are going to have to be some rules if we are to pursue this relationship. Do you understand, Ruby?"
"Yep. Perfect. Crystal clear," Ruby said stiffly. She was tempted to salute Weiss, but the sharp look she was giving her made Ruby reconsider. This wasn't a time for jokes. Weiss was dead serious about this and Ruby needed to match her. "I'll follow whatever rules you need to lay down, Weiss. No questions asked."
"Ruby," Weiss whispered, her expression quickly softening.
"I like you a lot, Weiss, but Chrys is your main priority. Us? It can wait," Ruby said with a supportive smile. "We're in no rush."
"I… thank you," Weiss said, finally relaxing. "I really want to kiss you for being so understanding, but Chrys is still watching us."
"Don't worry, you can thank me later," Ruby winked.
Weiss touched Ruby's tattooed arm and smiled as she caressed one of the roses with her thumb. "Thank you."
Sooo... I did a thing for my best friend's birthday. It's going to be an AO3 exclusive story since I can link it to Second Chance without having to got through hoops here. It's non-canon so not reading it won't affect the story, but it does give you a taste of what's to come.
As always, please leave a review if you've enjoyed the story thus far.