Though he'd never admit it, a certain man was very thankful Blake was out of his apartment. Sure it was fine having her, but there was an extra element of relaxation found in having a proper bed to sleep on and full on privacy. He'd reviewed Weiss' naughty photo shoots a few times, so it was nice to be able to do so no longer having to worry about a Faunus walking in. He still hasn't decided on whether or not he was going to go back to the dorm any time soon; again, living alone came with plenty of benefits, though he did need to reconnect with his team eventually.
All of that came later, though. For now, the man was going to relax and unwind in the apartment. Nobody was renting at the moment, so it was his for the rest of break, whether he uses it or not. With that, he was unbothered as he plays video games while lying on his former bed. He'd had enough time to play the ones Yang lent him, so he was back to his own stuff.
The man found himself somewhat tired of normal fighting games after the whole Savage Streets adventure, so he was trying out something new. That something was an anime fighter with a lot more systems going on; the series was gearing up for a massive crossover with one of his favorite shows, which had drawn him and a lot of other people in. It was… complex to say the least, but it was fun.
Interrupting the exploration of new fighting games was a knock at the door. Climbing up out of the mess, the man throws on a shirt and makes his way to the door. As he opens the door, he finds himself face to face with nothing. Confused, he looks down to see…
"Weiss!? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow night?"
Weiss giggles, clearly enjoying the shock. She closes in and hugs the man, saying, "I know. I lied!" Nuzzling him, she adds, "I told everyone I'd be back tomorrow." She lets go and widens her smile. "Now we have all day to spend together with no interruptions!"
The man pulls in Weiss without thinking and shares the first kiss in what felt like months. "I love you! Why don't you give me a minute to get dressed and I can show you my apartment?"
"That sounds lovely! Just knock when I can come in."
The man closes the door on Weiss and realizes his apartment was a mess. He quickly tosses some of his clothes into a corner, brushes away some trash, and closes all the cabinets. Opening the closet (now free with Blake's move out), he pulls out some of his fancier clothes; he didn't bring all of his clothes from the dorms, but he specifically picked out a nice button up and pants he had for when Weiss got back. Though a bit earlier than expected, he was now ready for a nice town outing. He noticed Weiss was wearing her Snowpea outfit with a pair of knee socks, leading him to pick out a jacket as well.
"Welcome to my house!"
"It's… quaint," Weiss says, examining the kitchen. "I love it! It's a lovely size, even sharing with Blake! You have more room than in the dorms, at least." She explores the cabinets, suddenly far more interested in apartment furnishings than one would expect. She tours the room, then moves to the bedroom and bathroom, surveying everything a non-billionaire could reasonably afford if they were lucky. Though it was no Schnee mansion and there were no indoor pools, she genuinely seems to love it. "I like it."
"It's a nice place, for sure. Finally got to sleep in the bed now that Blake's gone."
"Well, know that I'm here, you can tell me all about your little escapade with Blake. I got most of the story, but it's still a bit hard to imagine."
"Why don't we talk over lunch?"
"That sounds lovely. I've been wanting to treat you to something nice; I HAVE been torturing you with those photoshoots after all."
Weiss holds out her arm, waiting to be pampered. The man takes it and lets Weiss rest her head on his shoulder as they start walking. He ends up at a restaurant far more upscale than initially expected; though he was in his best clothes barring an ill-fitted suit, everyone else was a man above forty in a suit worth more than he could make in a year and their female companions. Even Weiss is a bit underdressed, but he really didn't care; after all, he got to eat with Weiss, and she decided she– well, her family, at least– was paying. It was only right that she paid, considering he had zero idea of what was going on; Weiss told him to trust her to take care of ordering.
As you soak in the money-hemorrhaging aura of the restaurant, the man informs Weiss in more detail about the whole thing with Blake and Ilia. He starts from her initial attack, then Blake's breakdown, then makes sure to specify the 100% platonic sleeping next to each other in a non-sexual way, then finish with the battle where they converted Ilia to the good side. Weiss had already heard a lot about your vacation, so she tells him all about her trip home; she'd fought more giant Grimm, sung in concerts, relearned piano and violin, all sorts of very tortuous and annoying things. Still, it proves she was very accomplished, but she was definitely happy to be back with her boyfriend. Now, she can enjoy an actual vacation.
"Okay, so this is bruschetta," Weiss says, explaining the dish a waiter placed before them. "It's mostly tomatoes, along with olive oil and herbs, served on toast." She picks up a neatly cut slice of bread topped with diced red bits and takes a bite. Smiling wide, she finishes and says, "One of my favorites! And this," she says, holding up the wine of the course, "Is Sauvignon Blanc."
Still unsure that he can even pronounce Sauvignon Blanc, the man takes a sip. He's rather unsure of how to rate wines, but it leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth after it swirls around. Feeling fancy, he reaches for a portion of the bruschetta; the thin flat bread came lightly toasted and covered with a rainbow of tomatoes and herbs. Careful not to let any tomato bits drop, the man takes a bite and experiences what he feels is the taste of having money. He quickly decides he likes bruschetta. The wine was a bit more of a meh, but everything about the presentation, shape, even color was mathematically satisfying not even accounting for taste.
"It's good!"
Weiss and her boyfriend cheerily munch on the toast and tomatoes, enjoying the continuing conversations around them. Weiss quickly fills the man in on the lame side of how the rich live; he receives a speed lesson revolving around table manners, learning the difference between the various forks and what to do with his hands. Etiquette is clearly needlessly complicated, but he humors Weiss so as not to draw more attention from the big wigs in their suits. It isn't long before the next course is served, leaving Weiss to explain what was now before him.
"Timbales," Weiss states, motioning to the strange boxy breaded substance. "Think salmon, shrimp, and scallops in an over-the-top sandwich. And… you know what, I'll skip explaining everything. Just know that it's really good, really fancy, and you won't get it anywhere else. Enjoy yourself, Sweetie."
"I appreciate this gesture."
Weiss and her boyfriend enjoy five courses, five varieties of impossibly expensive foods, and five glasses of unpronounceable wine. Being with Weiss again makes the man realize just how much he missed her over your vacation; just being near her, even in a place surrounded by rich strangers, leaves a soothing feeling in the body. The whole experience was something to remember, as most of the foods he had never tasted nor thought he'd ever taste, and having someone pair wine with them was such a surreal moment for a young middle-class man.
The pair walk out of a five-star restaurant full and happy in each other's arms. Now that their appetites were taken care of, it was time to be the best boyfriend ever; Nondescript Winter Holiday was quickly approaching, so the entirety of downtown was covered in colors and decorations, with plenty of setups and festivals to explore. The fragile mist left a chill, so he takes Weiss walks her through downtown.
Thankful he'd been planning for this moment, the man is more than pleased to see Weiss' eyes light up. She's never been to Vale during the holidays, so she's never seen the center of downtown decked out like it was; what was usually little more than a grassy park was covered in fake snow occasionally cascading over holiday setups of decorated trees, elf workshops, and storybooks brought to life. With every step was a new fenced off square containing something related to the holidays, whether it be magical flying animals, jolly old men delivering presents, or animatronic toys building other toys. Though the man has seen the spectacle numerous times from living in Vale, Weiss was captivated. Just walking around surrounded by families, couples, friends, and everything in between was a treat, as he and Weiss share stories about the holidays and how he came downtown with his family when he was young. Weiss shares her scant memories of the times her family was happy and expresses wishes to make new memories with the man and her friends.
Weiss and her boyfriend wander around the park, looking at all the booths and setups of everything. Evading the experience was probably the most romantic thing he'd done with Weiss, and it all culminates once he takes her around a corner and reach the center of the festival.
"Oh, my…" Weiss stutters, looking up before her.
"Yep. They light it every year."
The center of the park carried a tree that was tip-to-trunk covered with lights, garlands, ornaments, everything that would catch glints from the evening sky. While the magic had been lost upon the man after years seeing it, Weiss reawakens the chilled heart as he feels her hand squeeze his; he can tell from the pressure of her fingers that this was the first time in a long time since she had known what it was like to truly feel the true holiday spirit. He too was starting to feel the fuzzy feeling everyone sees in holiday specials, and it felt good.
Weiss is content to stare at the giant holiday tree for a long while, so the man and her fall away to a bench and sit in the hum of the festival. Everywhere around them were parents showing their kids the animatronics, or couples sharing hot chocolate, or groups of friends pleasantly chatting as they passed by. If one could distill a beautiful moment to keep forever, this would be high on the list.
"I love you," Weiss says, bumping her head into her boyfriend's shoulder.
It's a good day. The man takes Weiss by the hand and heads back to the apartment to get Weiss' things.