Ah, Valentine's Day. The one holiday you either love with an undying passion or loathe to death. Having a partner (or lack thereof) will probably make it easy to decide which side of the spectrum you are on. In some cases, there are people who just enjoy the celebration of any holiday in general. Getting caught up in the festivities of handing out those little Valentine's cards with candies tacked on was fun in its own right, and didn't really come with any romantic strings attached. For someone like Ruby Rose, it was a perfect little gesture to show her friends she cared.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Coco!" Ruby smiled as she approached Team CFVY's table in the cafeteria, handing the fashionista a heart shaped card with a bee on it. She proceeded to give one to the rest of the team as well.

"Thanks, Rubes," the team leader smiled, reading the message inside. 'Bee my Valentine!' was a pun Coco expected out of Rose's sister. "But don't you think you're a little, well, old for this?"

"I think it's cute!" Velvet defended, popping her piece of candy into her mouth, "Everyone should be shown that someone cares about the today."

"Did you send anything to Mercury?" Ruby asked her, zipping up her parcel of Valentines. The rabbit sighed, ears drooping.

"Yes, but I'm not sure if he received it in time. He hasn't contacted me in a few days… I hope he's okay."

Yatsuhashi grunted, pounding his fist into his hand. "If we find out he is playing you, Velvet, you know we won't stand for that." Scarlet nodded in silent agreement, munching on his own candy.

"Nobody messes with our bunny rabbit, except me!" Coco said with a gleam in her shades, playfully pinching Velvet's cheek.

"Coco…! Stop it, this is embarrassing!"

Leaving Team CFVY to their own mischief, Ruby skipped down the aisle of tables spreading rose petals into the air. She had gone and given Valentines to almost all of her friends so far; JNPR was first, then SSSN, followed by Penny and the professors (though she wasn't sure if Ozpin understood what the card meant). Of course, Ruby made sure to save her best friends for last. She found them outside by the large Huntsman Statue eating their lunch, Yang with her arm draped over Blake's shoulder. Ruby could easily tell from her sister's body language that she was teasing the cat about her beau.

"So~!" Yang whistled, munching on an apple, "You and monkey boy got any plans for tonight?"

Sometimes Blake thought Yang was more inquisitive than her mother sometimes when it came to Sun. "Just a movie. That's it."

"Are you sure?"

"Does this face look unsure to you?"

"You tell me."

"Yang, please," Weiss interrupted, "She clearly doesn't want to talk about it. And I would rather not continue to hear you prodding into her personal life."

Xiao Long gave Weiss a coy smile. "I think someone is just jealous that they don't have a date for today. Did Neptune not try anything?"

"T-That has nothing to do with anything!" Weiss lied, "And besides, I'm over Neptune. I would rather not be dating someone with a criminal record."

"Sun told me he went out with Sage, Scarlet and Gray to a male bodybuilding convention too," Blake said, "Might explain why he didn't want to hang out with a girl to- Ruby, is that you?" The Faunus had been blinded from behind as Ruby held two hearts over her eyes, precariously standing on her toes on the inner rim of the fountain.

"Don't lean back," Ruby pleaded, smiling nervously, "And Happy Valentine's Day!" Yang took the cards just as Ruby started to fall backwards. Blake snatched hold of her cape, saving her from a splash. The rose sighed a breath of relief when she sat down, and handed an extra sparkly Valentine to Weiss. "An extra special one for my bestie!"

Weiss looked at the card, trying not to get glitter stuck to her fingers. "This… is nice."

Ruby's eyes went full puppy-dog. "You don't like it?"

"I do, I do! It's just… lovely."

"So, Ruby," Yang grinned slyly, tucking her Valentine into her cleavage (because why not?), "Give any Valentines to cute boys? That one new exchange student from Mistral is just your type~!"

"The farm boy?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, "He smells like pigs and compost."

"He's a working man. Probably real good with his hands."

"Real classy, Yang."

Ruby shook her head, refusing the suggestion. "I don't have time for boys, Yang. I gotta keep my grades good and stuff."

"Is that why you failed Port's last exam?" Blake asked.

"No! I was just really tired that night-

"Because you were watching 'All My Faunus' until sunrise."

"I can't help it! That show is an addiction! It's like a drug to me!"

"You have to have considered going on a date at least once, Ruby," Yang said, returning to the topic at hand, "Handing out Valentines is fun and all, but don't you have someone really special you'd want to spend extra time with?"

Putting two and two together, Blake looked at Ruby then to Weiss. "…She did give Weiss a bigger card than us-

"Blake, no." Weiss wasn't going to have any of that insinuation, but it was too late to stop the gears in Yang's head from turning. The blonde was getting her little sis a date today, even if it was one of her teammates.

"Hey, Ruby," Yang grinned, throwing her arm around her sister's shoulders. She reached out and snatched Weiss by the collar, pulling the reluctant heiress in. "How much do you like Weiss?"

The rose stroked her chin, calculating the situation. "Well, she is my best friend, but I don't think a date would-

"Don't think of it as a 'real date'. Think of it like… practice, for a real one. Weiss would love to help you experience what one is like! That's what best friends do for each other. Isn't that right, Weiss?"

If death glares could kill, Weiss would be standing over a dead Yang right now. This idea was so foolish! Ruby was pretty enough to find herself a boy to take her out tonight, so why should she have to go on a mock date with her? She looked at Ruby, her friend just shrugging at the suggestion. Was she really fine with this?

"I guess it can't be that bad," Ruby said, "People wouldn't even think we'd be on a 'date', either. We would just look like teammates having some fun. What do you say, Weiss? Will you 'go out' with me?"

Her logic wasn't wrong. Plus, Weiss didn't want someone else to be by themselves today. If Ruby wanted to do this, then she was going to do it as well. "…Fine. But I'm choosing where we go."

"How romantic~!"

"Shut up, Yang."

When she was much younger, Weiss had remembered her sister Winter taking her to the Aquarium of Atlas on Valentine's Day to go and see the dolphins. The little heiress was enamored by the grace and intelligence of the pinnipeds, and had begged to return there once more. Unfortunately, she and her sister never had the chance to do so, for once her father found out about their impromptu trip he had forbidden them from ever returning.

There was no aquarium like that in Vale, but the local zoo was close enough. Weiss figured it would be the same amount of fun as she once remembered - just with less water – and that Ruby would enjoy it as much as she would. Hey, if she was picking where to go on a 'date' she was going to make sure she would enjoy it to the fullest.

The zoo was busy for a somewhat chilly afternoon. Many animals were getting ready to tucker in for the night, but that didn't stop an increasing influx of visitors who came for a date night. Ruby and Weiss had already been there for almost an hour, making it about a third of the way through the enclosures. After exploring the Atlesian Artic Zone, the friends had stopped to grab some snacks before making their way to the Vacuoan Desert Dome. The enclosed ecosystem with free roaming tortoises and birds was just as warm as the real location, with a cluster of ceiling lights clustered to replicate the intense sun. Ruby and Weiss had taken shelter under a palm tree table, waiting for the lights to dim as the atmosphere switched from day to night.

"Hey, look," Ruby said to Weiss, pointing at a large tortoise lumbering to their table. She pulled off a piece of her cotton candy, holding it out for the reptile. Just as the tortoise reached out to bite, Weiss pulled her 'date' back.

"Can't you read the sign? Don't feed the animals, Ruby."

"But I feed Zwei goodies all the time!"

"Yes, but he's your dog. These animals are not yours."

"Then buy me one!"

"…You can't be serious."

Ruby stuck her tongue out playfully. "You're my date, right? Shouldn't my date buy me a gift?"

"W-Well, yes, but not a wild animal. Maybe a plush one from the gift shop instead."

"One of the giant ones?!"

"I didn't say…" Drat. Ruby was really pulling the puppy eyes card today. She knew saying no to her in this state was impossible. "...Alright. One of the big ones. But only because it is Valentine's Day."

"Success!" Ruby pumped her fist high in victory. Weiss couldn't help but smile at her innocence. Any boy would be lucky to have her...

"Weiss? Ruby? Is that you?"

The familiar voice of the noodle made Weiss and Ruby spin around. They met eyes with Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, holding hands as a bird narrowly made contact with the former's head. He was dressed in a grey button-up, matching well with Pyrrha's deep red sweater; it was weird to Weiss seeing them dressed so formally, and even weirder to see Jaune in the middle of an actual date.

"Hey Jaune, Pyrrha," Ruby smiled as Arc brushed a feather from his hair, "How're you guys doing?"

"Just lovely," Pyrrha replied, "Jaune wanted to take me out to here today. I have never been to a zoo before. Now that I have loosened up my training regiments, I want to spend my free time going places I previously didn't have time to go to."

"Are you guys here on a date, too?" Jaune asked jokingly, not prepared for Ruby's answer.

"Yup."

"Say what now?"

"We are!" Ruby quickly slid onto the seat beside Weiss, pulling the blushing heiress into a hug, "Well, kind of. Maybe not."

Weiss decided to explain before things spiraled out of control. "Yang wanted me to take Ruby on a 'mock date' since she'd never went on one before."

"I see," Pyrrha nodded, "I can't say it's a concept I have heard of before, but its sweet seeing how good of a friend you are."

There was a question Jaune felt was wrong to ask, but just had to. "How far are you guys going with this? Are you guys going out for dinner after this, or…?"

"I don't know," Ruby looked to Weiss, "Are we?"

"I think there is a diner at the other end of the zoo we could eat at. The last thing I wish to do is go to a fancy restaurant tonight. Cinder told me about some bad service she had recently, and I'm not taking any chances."

"What a coincidence!" Pyrrha exclaimed, "Jaune and I were actually planning on going to that diner ourselves in a bit. We were going to visit the tiger enclosure then make our way there afterwards."

Weiss and Ruby glanced at each other, shrugging. "Are you sure? We wouldn't want to ruin you two's time together."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Jaune assured, waving them off, "We always have time for friends."

There was a chomping sound from behind Ruby, who turned to see the giant tortoise had just snapped up her cotton candy in his beak. After trying to lightly tug it back, she decided to let the reptile have the tasty treat. "Guess I won't be having dessert before dinner after all."

The rest of the day went by so fast. After grabbing dinner in the diner, the four teens made their way through the last portion of the zoo. Pyrrha, having never seen so many exotic animals before, reminded Weiss of herself on her first trip to an animal park. She and Jaune broke off from them in the middle of the Vacuoan Savannah section to watch the giraffes and their silhouettes on the sunset, claiming a bench sat in between an enclosed, fairly romantic outcrop of rocks. Both of the girls would rather leave the lovebirds to their own business there, knowing that some lip locking would commence soon enough.

Weiss kept her word upon reaching the gift shop and purchased Ruby a large plush tortoise, with a shell large enough for Zwei to sit atop of. Fitting the stuffed animal into the taxi for the ride back to Beacon was its own little adventure, and they ended up tying the toy to the top of the car for a simple (if bizarre) solution. They reached the school as the moon took its place up above, and they walked quietly through their dorm back to their room. Upon entering, they found it was empty.

"I see Blake is still out with Sun," Weiss said, helping Ruby pull the giant plush through the small doorway. With a few tugs, the tortoise slipped in, falling on top of the heiress and knocking her on her back.

Giggling, Ruby extended a hand to her friend. "And I'm gonna guess Yang is spying on them since she's not here." Pulling Weiss up, she went to move the tortoise to the spot on the floor between the bunk beds. "Zwei's gonna love this guy when Dad sends him back here."

Weiss slipped her jacket off, hanging it on the doorknob. Even in the dark, she could see her friend was still smiling. Still, she needed confirmation in words that the 'date' went well. "So, did you enjoy the day?"

"Yeah! I gotta admit, it was much more fun than just handing out Valentines all day. But… I don't know why you're asking me that when the date's not done yet."

The heiress raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Ruby blushed, making a circle in the carpet with her feet. "Don't dates usually end with, you know… a kiss…?"

Weiss must have really hit her head during that fall, because Ruby did not just say that. "You can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be? We just pretended to be a couple all day. You bought me dinner and a gift, and I, uh… I got you something too." Ruby reached into her pocket, digging around before presenting Weiss with a small box. She opened it as Schnee turned on a desk lamp to illuminate the room better. The light revealed a pair of crystal blue earrings, each rimmed with silver and carved in the shape of a dolphin. In disbelief, Weiss covered her mouth as she took the gift.

"When did you…?"

"While you were buying the tortoise," Ruby said softly, "I remembered how much you said you liked dolphins at dinner, and since we didn't see any today I just kinda thought you'd like these."

"They're beautiful," Weiss clasped the small box in her fist, holding it over her chest as she put her free hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Thank you, Ruby."

"So… kiss-kiss?"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss tried not to laugh. "You are so adamant on kissing me, aren't you?"

"If anyone is going to steal my first kiss, it should be my bestie. That, and I want to make this day 100% authentic, you know? Besides, who's going to see us?"

She wasn't wrong. What would the harm be? It was just a kiss, anyways. Quick and simple.

"…Okay. Close your eyes."

Blushing, Ruby obeyed. Weiss pursed her lips and leaned in, now grasping both of her friend's shoulders to stop her squirming. She took a deep breath right before she felt their mouths touch. It was odd at first, and Weiss meant for it to be only a quick peck on the lips. But the flash of a camera shocked her just enough to push harder, nearly falling onto Ruby as a cackling Yang emerged from the closet.

"That. Was. Perfect!" Yang shouted with glee as the two stunned girls stared at her, "It's been months in the making, but now I've finally got payback for you sharing that picture of me kissing Blake!"

"Y-Yang!" Ruby yelled back, blitzing her sister in a flurry of rose petals, "Was that what this whole day was for?! Just to get me to kiss Weiss?!"

"And it worked perfectly! It's a Valentine's miracle!"

"You… you!" Ruby struggled to come up with a suitable insult. Instead, she wrestled with Yang for possession of her camera. The blonde managed to toss it into the hall, where a once hidden Blake caught it in mid-air. The Faunus winked at Weiss before running down the hall, Ruby racing after her. Once Yang followed behind them, Weiss stayed standing in place, holding two fingers to her lips.

She tasted like cotton candy.

Taking a seat at her desk, Weiss pulled out a small mirror and propped it up. She brushed the hair back from her ears, removing her old earrings and placing Ruby's in. Her eyes were glued to the little dolphins that now not just reminded her of Winter, but of the sweetest best friend she could have ever wanted.

It was just a kiss.

But why then was Weiss still blushing?

"…You dolt."