Have a great and merry Christmas or yuletide or whatever you wish to celebrate around the end of the year! This came about because someone was like 'Let's show some christmas cheer and write something sweet and fluffy!' So... here it is! (I know someone is going to go 'OH MY GOD, HE WROTE SOMETHING FLUFFY, THE WORLD IS ENDING!)
Weiss Schnee had a conundrum.
A terrible plight, a horrid appeal, even as the shocked expression on her girlfriend of two years looked like it had heard that there would be no more celebrations for the year.
The living room of their apartment really didn't feel like it was all that homey now with her girlfriend looking like Christmas had been cancelled. The tickets had already been bought for them to get to the island. They were due to leave in two days too!
"You've never celebrated Christmas with your family?" Ruby said, face almost like she'd heard that Weiss didn't like chocolate. It had been a joke that Weiss had paid for when Ruby had cleansed the house of all chocolate-related treats.
Weiss didn't know whether she should laugh or cry, as she knew of the trouble that she'd always had with Christmas, or Weihnachten, as it had been called in her native Germany. It was different over here in the States.
They didn't have the cold father who had said 'No' to anything resembling a family celebration, who didn't have to worry whether her mother was fit for public viewing, usually hung over a couch with a bottle in hand.
Ruby didn't know the troubles that Weihnachten brought.
"It was not in the- No! I know that look, Ruby Rose!" Weiss pressed her finger against her girlfriends' chest, Ruby grinning impishly.
"You are not inviting my family over with- with your father and your sister! No!"
Ruby didn't know what kind of man her father was. Weiss ran a hand through her hair, aware of the snow-like texture of the pale hair, something of an inherited family trait of 'supreme snow-white hair', her grandfather Nicholas having been the first with that unique combination, which he had passed on to her, his granddaughter.
She could already see Taiyang on the couch, wrapping an arm around her father and mothers' shoulder, telling one of his stories about his career… and the face her father would make when the man started talking about his ex-wife's glorious rump.
That might actually be funny for once.
Not that her father wouldn't sue the man to high heaven for daring to lay his hands on him. Weiss knew that her mother might even use the opportunity to get drunk on gluhwein or something stronger. She was not being her mother's caretaker!
Yet.
Hopefully not for a long while.
"But Weiss? It's the time for family! You've got your brother, don't you?" Ruby pleaded, as she did the cutest thing with her silvery eyes, her smile like the autumnal sun in the heavens during the day that she'd met her for the first time as her girlfriend.
"Whitley is not in the country! He's a little sh-" Weiss stopped herself before cursing, as Ruby smiled.
"I invited them anyways! You should relax! I went through your phone for the addresses, so I-" The innocent smile on Ruby's face as she said that made Weiss gasp.
No! You couldn't have- Whyyyyy!
Only a consternated "Oh Mein Gott' slipped from her lips as Ruby smiled.
"They're coming on the 2nd day of Christmas, which is like, really funny? You didn't tell me that they have a 2nd day of Christmas, Weiss!"
Her girlfriend was too optimistic! This was terrible! Mother must have told her about that, or Whitley, or-
Did she invite Winter?
That would be worse! Winter would not tolerate Taiyang's loose happy demeanour and there had been that incident with Ruby's uncle Qrow…
This isn't good! This is terrible!
Mother would have been very astute, if she hadn't been too drunk. Father would have-
He wouldn't have deigned to say that he was coming. Since when has he cared for me since I announced that I was going to love a woman?
"Stop making that silly face, Weiss! They're your family! Sure, your big sister is a bit of a serious woman, but how bad could it be, huh?" Ruby said with that angelic smile on her face that made Weiss blush, aware that her girlfriend had never really met the family.
"Who did you talk to?"
A hesitant question, asked with that hint of dread in her voice, awareness of what Ruby had undoubtedly caused with her sudden impulse to drag her family into things. Father had threatened her with unpleasant action, only interrupted by the sudden announcement that Whitley was not willing to inherit yet, due to his younger age and frailer health.
It was something untold to others, but her father had accepted the news with the grace and the acceptance that he always showed.
The bruise had faded nearly three days later, when she'd gotten back from the international airport, greeted by her girlfriend and her half-sister, the blonde whistling quietly at the shiner that'd half-faded with the time that it'd taken to get back home.
The swelling had gone down, but her father had been angry at her through the three-hour-long argument through the phone that she'd taken with her on a walk.
"Your mom! Silly you, you're making a face! Come here, Weissey!" Ruby's enthusiasm made her smile, as she hugged her girlfriend.
Mother knows that I love her.
Mother had been warm when she'd been five, when she'd looked at the snowflakes slowly drifting down from the heavens, knowing that her father had to work, that there wouldn't be something special done for Weihnachten, because they had to be alone.
"You shouldn't have…- I mean, I am not upset." Weiss said quickly, correcting herself when Ruby's face fell.
The dark red locks that streaked out through the dark hair, the silver eyes that clearly shone with that impish delight as her girlfriend kissed her cheek with an affectionate peck.
"Weiss, don't be upset! I'll make it up to you, just watch!"
The excitement as Ruby dashed off, leaving her to sit there in silence, aware that her girlfriend had just left her, the head peering from the door covered with a big floppy red and white Santa hat, like the fat hobbit who seemed to love coca-cola.
It wasn't Krampus, the goat demon that would steal her away if she had been naughty, but instead the American consumer god, with her girlfriend holding up a fluffy floppy one with a snowflake on the tip, dangling silly-willy like it was something.
"Come on Weiss! It's nearly Christmas! It'll be great! If you're going to be a nice Santa, I'll stuff your stocking tonight!"
Weiss stared, her eyebrows raising, as her cheeks flushed bright red. She had not expected the boldness of her girlfriend like this, as she got up and took the hat and put it on. It was itchy and yet soft, and it drooped over her face, as Ruby giggled loudly at the sight.
"Come on, I'll show you your stocking! I've hung mine next to the hearth- well, that heater that we call the hearth! Santa Claus will be coming tonight to stuff it, I just know!"
Weiss didn't comment on it further. She stared in stunned amazement as Ruby tweaked her nose and spun around, the skirt that she wore definitely looking good on her, the rose brooch that glittered on the collar of the shirt that she'd been wearing for entirely too long in the light.
"But if you don't want to, that's fine, that's-"
Weiss kissed her girlfriend to shut her up, just a tender kiss, repaying the girlfriend for her actions, as she turned around, aware that there would be no difference in status, the feeling inside her chest being a thump-thump-thump as she was aware that her girlfriend had just invited her family over.
Father wouldn't be able to make it, he's too busy. Mother might, Winter would certainly be able to make it, Whitley… is a toss of the coin.
She could do this. Ruby had invited her family over for Christmas at her fathers' home on the island of Patch, someplace where there were still 'rugged mountain-men' as he'd once said.
She would have to believe that there would be no drunken debacles from her mother…
Please don't arrive drunk…
The trepidation as she stood in front of the door that led to the Xiao Long home was something that she always felt, Ruby pressing the button with a finger again, the horrid screeching of the doorbell, like a turkey being throttled by a hoarse yodeler, an apt description according to Ruby's older sister Yang, the door opening up and a blonde man appearing in the door opening, the easy smile on his face and the scruffy half-beard that had been replaced with a fake white one, the Santa hat on his head clearly showing that he was all in the festive swing of things.
"Hey there, kiddos. Ho ho ho!"
Weiss cracked a very tiny smile, knowing that the man dealt with the stressful circumstances in the way that he always did, by laughing and keeping an upbeat spirit.
"Daaaad~! Weiss, hug the Santa!" Ruby said with an excited cheer as she did just that, hugging her father with the enthusiasm that Weiss always envied in her girlfriend, her eyes blinking away the tears, the hopes that she'd have a father like that sometimes too.
She hugged the man perhaps a tiny little bit too hard. It wasn't something that she'd ever admit to doing to her girlfriend, but the man laughed in that 'old man' voice and she felt a little warmer on the inside.
"Come on in, girls. There's some hot cocoa in the mugs for you two. I saw the lights outside, so I wanted to let you guys in with a bit of good-spirited cheer." Taiyang Xiao Long was someone who didn't let the world bring him down, admirably so. It was more than her own father could have mustered, with his coldness, Weiss realized.
"Your parents said that they'd… be able to make it. Your mother sounded rather stubborn over the phone."
Oh no, you spoke to mother. Winter would have needed time to arrange for a visitation with her job, and it would not be- no, no, this can't be!
This was worse than expected. Both mother and father would be coming, Whitley and Winter undoubtedly in attendance as well, if Mother had gotten a hold of them.
They all wished to have a good time with their mother again, especially with Jacques being about as good a father as a pile of horse dung, but even she knew that, despite his appearance and his temper, he was still their father. You never quite gave up on your family, as traditions would be renewed and other options would fade.
"Relax, Weiss. How bad can it be- Ooh! Are there marshmallows? Please tell me there are marshmallows, dad! Weiss, you've got to taste this!"
Ruby's child-like excitement made her feel a lot better, aware of just how sweet her girlfriend could be. It was the sweetness that had attracted her to her, back when they'd first met. It had been annoyance at first, before there had been a gradual like, and then something that might be called love. Love that had come out during the first confession. It had been embarrassing.
There was a low rumble in the room before she could see the sister, decked out in a scanty red and white top with fur-like ruffles exposing her chest, the muscles that a professional boxer would have exposed, with the shorts that came with the top in a similar manner of style, her fingers tapping away at the cup of hot cocoa in her hand.
"Weiss, come to rob my stocking?"
Weiss huffed angrily, turning up her nose to the seriously sexy Santa that struck a pose, Ruby flustering immediately as she turned to her sister.
"Yaaaang! No acting seductive towards my girlfriend! Your own is still on her trip, isn't she?!"
The girlfriend, an activist who seemed to have more heart in her 'ethnic rights' than her own girlfriend at times, had been introduced once. Blake Belladonna, from some country out near Australia, with a propaganda form already laid out in front of her.
"Sure she is, but that doesn't mean that snowy over here has to be lonely, right? How about you ditch my little sis and get some real blonde, Weissey-Weiss?"
The flirtatious teasing was enough for Weiss, as Ruby started to playfully punch her sister. Maybe not so playfully, as Yang bent over with a gasp.
"Oof, you got me."
That Ruby had.
When they laid in bed together, Weiss exhaled softly. The worry inside her heart was something that wouldn't go away even with the thoughts of how mother and father would be acting. Father would be distant and cold, Whitley would not care, Winter would be arguing with father and mother, and she'd have to be in-between.
"It'll be fine, Weiss."
There was a hopeful murmur from her girlfriend, who was adorably sweet. Her father had sang a few Christmas songs that she'd never heard before, and she'd done several of the songs from the catalogue that she'd brought, things that her natural German accent could only bring forth with the range that her voice afforded her.
She knew that being a professional singer had been forced on her since she was young, yet the sight of seeing the glowing lights of the candles that had been lit and the smiles on her soon to be father-in-law and sister-in-law was worth it.
"I don't know… They'll arrive tomorrow."
They would be bringing with them trouble, in their usual fashion.
Winter with her taciturn strict behaviour, Father with his usual panache of 'you are lesser than me, bow before Jacques Schnee' and her mother with the usual amount of liquor in her system, Whitley as unreachable as the stars above.
They'll hate it here. They'll hate my girlfriend too, only Winter met her before. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I should have made an excuse, and now they'll see what Ruby's father looks like too. Father might sue, if a crass comment was made.
"It'll be fine… Don't worry, my little snow-white."
She totally hadn't told her the meaning of her name for her to make fun of her!
I'll get you for that, Ruby Rose!
She could see her girlfriend snuggle a little deeper into the covers and mumble something about needing more hugs for the Weiss machine.
Maybe later. She is a little bit too adorable to disturb.
Nervousness shot through her as she heard the doorbell, the ugly handknitted sweater with a mutant reindeer on it feeling warm and comfortable on her, as she went to the door to open it. The soft Christmas music and the Christmas lights were flickering on and off, an effect that made it look like a 'demented Santa lived here, dad!' according to Yang.
The ring was in her pocket, and she was going to ask Ruby the question regardless of whether her family approved or not. It'd been a month since she'd bought the ring with her money, aware that her little rose didn't have as much as a thousand to her name. She was rich and her girlfriend was poor but the smile on her lips made her day much better.
"Weiss?! It's your mom and dad! Come, quick!"
Ruby looked adorable with the santa hat and the three cookies that she'd had stuffed in her mouth, munching on them with easy chomps, her eyes lit up with the childish excitement as Weiss felt her be pulled by the sweater-sleeve and dragged to the door, Ruby opening up the door and taking a step back.
"Merry Second Christmas day! Or Waymachten, as Weiss says it!"
Her mother's expression was 'pleasantly inebriated', Winter looked like she'd rather be anywhere else, Whitley looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown and Father was nowhere to be seen.
Great…
This would be a wonderful family reunion, thanks to her girlfriend.
"Frohe Weihnachten, girl."
Her mother's high-German speech was not accented anymore, as her fingers tapped lightly, Winter supporting her mother instinctually, as they swept into the house. The smell of gingerbread cookies (according to a mom's recipe) hung in the air as her girlfriends' father emerged.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Welcome to my home, my name's Taiyang Xiao Long, the father of Ruby and Yang, the darling girl that's currently turning redder than a mushroom in Super Smash Bros."
Ruby's embarrassed 'DAAAA~D!' was loud, as Weiss watched the reactions of her mother and sisters, Winter looking as aloof as possibly was the case, her teeth visible in the smile that she put on, whilst her mother looked like she had been too drunk to really contemplate the offer on display.
"Oh, Hi. My name is We- Just call me Willow, that's the English way of saying my name."
The name was pronounced much different in German than it was, and Mother usually went by the American way rather than how it was spoken, because of the mistake with the word for Pasture. Ruby's father seemed to take it in good spirit, giving Willow a pat on the shoulder and then nearly seeming to drag the other woman in, Mother's squeak loud after being manhandled.
"It seems that you have- Ahem, my name is Whitley Reinhart Schnee, you must be Ruby, my sisters' partner."
Weiss was about to speak, but Ruby did what she did best. A hand was extended and Whitley shook it, as her girlfriends' smile turned up to megawatt proportions, as Ruby turned her head.
"He's so cuuuute! Ooh! Ooh! Are you staying the night? Dad set up the spare room for you four, but since your dad doesn't seem to be here, you'll have a bed to spare! Weiss was so nervous, knowing you were coming!"
She's telling him all my secrets! He'll be taking advantage of that, no doubt!
Whitley looked at her girlfriend with a raised eyebrow, clearly not humoured by Ruby's excitability, before her eyes went to her and Winter cleared her throat.
"We have met, Miss Rose. I hope you are still well?"
Met was a different word. Ruby had been naked and somewhat in the process of explaining why she was naked when her sister had walked into the apartment that had still been under their shared name, the key having not been returned yet. Having to explain why a naked girl was in their living room, what Ruby was doing with the whipped cream and how this was all fitting together, combined with a declaration from Ruby that 'ohmigosh, I didn't mean to! Weiss was just so cute, and we had that study session and then there were kisses and we were in bed together, oh gosh!' which had sent Winter into a minor stupor.
I guess that was not the best way to come out to your older sister as being gay.
Winter accepted and loved her, though. Whitley's cool expression was so much like Fathers' own that it almost hurt a little, the small thin moustache that was already growing on his upper lip making him look like a clone of the man himself.
"Yep! Ooh, you should come in, we've got hot cocoa for days, we've all been waiting for you!" Ruby's excited voice rambled on, as Weiss felt the impending catastrophe loom ever closer.
"An interesting girl, Weiss."
It was as much as Whitley seemed to be able to manage in the manner of a compliment, his face looking stony, much like their father did. Mother was already inside, and she led the way with Ruby, Mother already installed at the table, a cup of hot cocoa in front of her, her expression a little faint, as a helpless look was sent to her.
Taiyang Xiao Long was not a man who would be easy to dissuade whenever he had his mind set upon a goal that he'd put for himself, even after his first wife had left him. Ruby had never really been too open about her fathers' struggle with his own past, but the man seemed to have recovered well.
"Sit down, let's have a bit of warmth in your bellies. Your husband didn't have time to come, Willow?"
There was a pause as her mother seemed to pause her breathing for just a moment, as her eyes lowered to the table. She didn't seem drunk, for once.
"He… The company needed him to work."
There was regret, as her mother turned to look at her with a pleading look, as she took a moment to gather her breath. This was expected, it was expected that the man wouldn't be able to make it due to work or something. A pang of regret, something deep inside her that actually missed the man, as her mother produced something. The smell of stollen reached her nose as the bread was put on the table, Mother producing her best smile for the public, as Whitley kept his own smile as radiant as he managed. His eyes glinted, aware of how this would look.
"Fruit cake?"
It was not a fruitcake, as Weiss spoke up.
"Weihnacht stollen? Mutti, f-"
She'd slipped back into German, her cheeks flushing red as her girlfriend gave her a look. It made Ruby a little nervous when she used it.
"It's a type of bread, traditionally eaten around Christmas. I would have brought more, but there was no time. I- I got it from the bakery around where our home was. Herr Sieben wishes you a great Christmas."
The old baker who had been like a grandfather to her, someone who she'd enjoyed the company of with his funny commentary on how her father acted at times, when things had still been somewhat okay in the family, without the strife and her mother retreating into her shell.
"Thank you. Ruby, Yang? What do we say to the lady who has brought us something nice to eat?"
The chorus of 'Thank you, Mrs Schnee!' was synchronized, Ruby giving her a wink and Weiss found herself wrapped into her girlfriends' embrace. Winter looked like she wished to give some kind of comment on things, but Mother spoke up.
"It is not customary here, but I wished to show some appreciation." Willow Schnee was someone who often held the gravitas when she was sober, at least not inebriated enough, the steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of her looking odd in comparison to the glass of brandy that oftentimes had been half-emptied before she'd even finished the first sentence.
Taiyang was a good cook, the food on the table, the soft Christmas music so American that it was a little like the past movies, as the television was showing a late Christmas special. It wasn't the German broadcasts, but Whitley seemed to be watching it, showing a vulnerable side to himself for a moment that she hadn't seen before.
It was oddly pleasant to see his eyes light up, even with him in his late teens, the warmth that came with it was like an odd feeling of family, as her mother started one of the traditional Weihnacht songs, with her joining in. When Whitley and Winter joined in, the latter almost sounding hesitant, like there was nothing that she could do but to sing, it was a feeling of heat and love that spread through her, though it was probably the hot coco that she sipped.
"Weiss? Your mom is nice. How come you never told me that she'd be nice like this?"
Ruby pointed out the fact that Weiss had been trying to avoid, Willows' clear laugh like the tinkling of bells in the air, as Ruby's father Taiyang had told a joke, Winter smiling politely as well, but Mother seemingly charmed by it, in her own way.
There had been no request for alcohol yet, no inebriated smile offered from her mother and the request for her to join her to drink. It was homey.
"Frohe Weihnachten, Weiss."
The soft voice that Whitley used was a change from the snide tones that he usually would use, as he turned to her girlfriend and then mustered a smile that wasn't like a viper's imitation of their father, his expression a little warmer than it had been before, no longer set in the cold, slimy expressiveness that Father also had.
"Frohe Weihnachten."
The words were uncommon from her younger brothers' lips, her eyes meeting with his own, a shiver going down her spine as she saw the expression within the subtle cues of his face. He looked like a dork, but there as something deeply yearning in his eyes, a hopeful glimmer that made her want to reach out to her brother and give him a hug.
She did, suddenly and on an impulse. He was warm, the fancy clothing that he wore smelling lightly of some of the deep herbal smells of the spray that Taiyang had used to 'spruce things up' still clinging to Whitleys' shirt, her younger brothers' hand resting against her side.
"Danke. It's nice to-"
Whitley didn't finish his sentence, her eyes looking to the going-ons. Winter and Taiyang were talking about something, the two making gestures and something about 'calibre' and 'range', undoubtedly something gun-related, whilst Mother seemed to humour Ruby and Yang with a few stories about her own past and how the times had been when she'd grown up in Europe.
"I'm sorry for being so cold to you." Whitley stated quietly, his fingers stroking through his hair, blue eyes closing for an instant as he exhaled.
"It's Christmas, so… I'm sorry."
An apology she hadn't expected from him, something which made a tremor go through her body as she realized that this was the first time that she'd heard him apologize for something, something that made her feel a shudder of fear, yearning and a little more, her younger brother already a little taller than she was.
"I'm sorry too."
They were talking in German, something that was private and between the two of them, as none of the English-speakers would understand it, yet Weiss felt a small surge of joy tickle her insides.
He was her little brother, after all.
"Mother is making an effort not to drink. I wasn't supposed to tell you because I know that you have your issues but- she's trying."
Weiss offered a smile and then hugged her younger brother again a little tighter, Whitley groaning and trying to wiggle free, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.
She's trying to stay away from alcohol, I should talk to her.
Her mother was laughing at something that Yang said, the aged features looking more at ease than they had in years. Weiss hugged her mother from behind, smelling the comfortable smell of her mom, of the woman who had sang nursery rhymes to her until she'd been a little too old for them, but had lovingly done so, back when she'd still been young.
"I love you."
The words were in German usually, but she spoke them in English, for the benefit, her mother gently brushing her fingers over her cheek.
"I love you as well, Weiss."
It was a sweet nothing that made Weiss shiver, something that made her eyes tear up a little. The little box in her pocket was already starting to burn a little, as she looked at her girlfriend.
She'd be the first to get married. Whitley wasn't dating anyone, Winter was eternally married to her job in the military, and she'd made sure that it would be a good wedding. She'd pay for it herself, if her family didn't want to.
"H-hey, Ruby?'
Silver eyes looked at her with cutesy little intriguing sparks in their depths, happiness and joy mingling together, as she bounced up from her seat.
"Weiss, oh my gosh, you look so cute, come here, kiss kiss! A kiss for the Ruby!"
It wouldn't be a good moment, as she let go of her mother, pulling the box from her pocket.
"H-here. I've got this for you, Ruby Rose."
Yang seemed to look like the sky was burning, as Ruby looked at the box and then opened it, looking at the ring, the white-gold ring with little roses and snowflakes that'd cost half a car and a bit to make, slipping it on.
"Ooh, it looks so cute, it's so perfect! Thank you so very much, Weiss, I like it!"
Weiss stared at her girlfriend just slipping on the ring without any further emotion.
"Ruby! She gave you a ring!"
Ruby didn't get it, which was okay.
"Will you marry me, Ruby Rose?"
Surprise, Ruby's mouth opening up and a torrent of 'Yes, Yes, Yes! Oh gosh, Weiss! We're going to be kick-ass brides!'.
Weiss wondered who would wear the tuxedo… Though they might opt for dresses.
Congratulations were shared, as Ruby squealed loudly about how cute her ring was, whilst Weiss blushed.
"Froggy Winesachten, Weiss!"
Ruby tried to speak German again, and Weiss smiled, kissing her girlfriend, or probably Fiancé now, whilst her mother hugged the two of them.
It was better than she had expected, this Christmas celebration. The only family that had cared for her had been present, and there had been unification, with Winter speaking on how proud she was about her picking her own path.
That Winter had gotten seriously drunk afterwards and had started to mope about how everyone else was getting married before her, had been amusing. How Winter had started to do shots with Yang, both moping about their partner either not being present or not being 'present' in their life at all.
It had not been amusing to see Winter and Ruby's father appear at the breakfast table together, but that was another terrible tale for another day.
She was getting married!
Merry Christmas indeed.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Have a great 2021!