I don't know if it's fair but I thought "How
Could I let you fall by yourself
While I'm wasted with someone else"
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything

Paris - The Chainsmokers

The first time she sees Ruby it's not on that outside court by the dorms, no the first time was much more magical for the Schnee heiress. She herself had just finished an easy jog around the track near her apartment, (off campus housing that was still all students.) She was sitting on her balcony, drinking a fresh cup of coffee when she saw her. Ruby was running, as one is want to do on a track, but she looked like she was shining. She was wearing a hoodie with the sleeves cut off, and those damned shorts that covered only the bare minimum of leg and thigh. Her hair was pulled back, glittering red in the sun, and Weiss' breath caught in her chest.

Beside her she hears a rough laugh, and turns to see her neighbor, and best friend smirking from across the gap in their balconies. "Like what you see?" She purrs, and Weiss rolls her eyes.

"Is there something I can help you with Blake?" The amber eyed woman laughs again, hopping the short gap between their rooms and nudging the silver haired woman with her shoulder. Blake grins and winks, gesturing towards the runner. "Please, you know I'm straight." Blake hums next to her, plucking the now empty coffee cup from the pale girl's hands and walking it to the kitchen.

"The hearts in your eyes say differently."

She hears the water run in her kitchen before turning back to the runner on the track. She's stopped her jog, hunched over with her hands on her knees. Weiss is too far away to see the sweat dripping down her jaw, but she can see how labored her breathing is, and if she closes her eyes she can almost see herself wiping the sweat off her-

"Oh I think that's Ruby Rose." Weiss nearly yells. Living next to Blake for the last two years should have prepared her for the sudden appearance of Sun Wukong at any given moment, but rarely was that the case. "She's on the basketball team with me, though I haven't met her yet." Weiss rolls her eyes before moving further into her apartment, "I can go talk to her if you want!" He yells at Weiss' retreating form, (He'd learned two months into their freshman year not to enter the blue eyed girls home without permission, unless he wanted another black eye, and potential fall to his death.)

"Thank you Sun, but I am quite alright."

When Weiss arrives at her kitchen Blake is helping herself to a can of tuna and a flavored water from her fridge. She grabs her own and settles against the counter next to the feline faunus, her thoughts drifting back to the athletic redhead.

"It's okay if you're not straight Weiss, or even if you just found one girl you're attracted to." Blake is watching her closely, and Weiss sighs before hopping up to sit on the counter.

"It's not that I'm homophobic or anything, I just..." She hums letting the thought roll around her head for a moment before continuing, "I'm expected to be straight, so I am, or was I guess." A heavy sigh, "I don't know"

Blake laughs, moving to toss her trash in the bin before turning back to Weiss. "I know you haven't really met her, but if you're attracted to her, maybe give her a chance." From the counter Weiss grumbles, "Besides, if she is on the basketball team, you are a cheerleader."

It was never her intent to become a cheerleader. Cheerleaders were flippant and bland, usually dumb, no it had been a means to an end, that end being pissing off her father. She was expected to be sporty, but with the stigma around cheerleaders, it was a worse option than not being involved with athletics at all, and Weiss took it. She had expected to hate it, to easily become the best and move on after making her point. However the rigorous training and competitions had kept her attention, and after a few months she had truly started to enjoy it, (and the attention she got from the student body was a big plus as well.) She quickly became the most sought after cheerleader on the team, though relationships had never been on her radar.

It was an unspoken rule that cheerleaders got the first pick of any athletes on any of the teams. There was a hierarchy of sorts, even in college, but Weiss was rather reluctant to participate. Her studies were top priority, and cheerleading would come second, anything after that wasn't necessary. So after two years she was still single. Truth be told she didn't really want to be single, she had gone out on a few dates but there was never any spark. The men were either dull or stupid, and she had only ever been attracted to one other girl besides the jogging redhead. So yes, maybe Blake had a point. Maybe she would look into this, Ruby Rose, and see what all the fuss was about, and she'd show Blake that even if she had a cute face, tall frame, and attractive lean muscles- what was I saying?

Their first actual meeting had been… Brief. Weiss had overheard the basketball team calling roll, and they couldn't locate a Ms Ruby Rose, and Weiss had, without thinking, approached the portly coach. "I know where she is coach Port." And with that she exited the gym. It was only when she was halfway to the old basketball court in a half jog, that she realized she did know where the redhead was. The reality of it caused her to pause, she wasn't actively keeping track of the tall lanky girl, but she had taken notice of her existence several times in the last week; The corner of the library looking frustrated, out running again, practicing at the old court outside of gryphon. When she gets there she can see the small crowd gathered at the fence watching as she shifts from one foot to another, shooting effortlessly. There's a soft murmur at another shot, falling effortlessly through the net and Weiss realizes she's been distracted before entering the fenced in area.

"Hey you're Ruby Rose right?" She's facing away from the silver haired cheerleader and obviously didn't hear the question, so Weiss asks again, "Hey! Ruby Rose?" More silence as she shoots again and Weiss notices the headphones over her ears and feels herself flush before taking the few steps to the redhead's back and yanking them off.

"H-hi! Can I help you?" Weiss frowns, trying to keep her eyes focused on silver eyes?

"You're Ruby Rose right? From Patch?" Ruby seems to fidget, nodding in response.

"Y-yeah! That's me! Can I help you?" She shifts nodding once and Weiss finds it more difficult to look right at the taller girl.

"I'm Weiss Schnee, and you're late for practice." Without thinking she grabs for a tan wrist, and turns to drag Ruby behind her, the heat of her skin making Weiss flush softly.

There's a soft tug as the lanky girl tries to catch up without falling, and when she does she shoots Weiss a smile like the rising sun, beautiful and enchanting, not meant for the eyes of man.

"So Schnee, huh? Like the shoes?" She rolls her eyes, very aware of the redhead looking her way with that starlight smile, and she's aware she's still flushing.

She picks up her pace, uncomfortable with the nervousness that threads through her chest and constricts.

"They're good shoes! I've heard nothing but good things!" she can hear something in Ruby's voice, something like interest and the connection with her family's company sours the encounter.

"Yes, like the shoes." The remainder of the walk is in silence, and Weiss suddenly regrets her curt response, realizing belatedly that she enjoyed the soft Vale accent from the silver eyed redhead.

When they arrive at the gym she makes a beeline to coach Port and swings the athlete towards him, realizing after a beat that she's still attached to a very warm wrist.

"Here you are coach Port." She makes it two steps away from Ruby before looking back over her shoulder and giving the athlete a quick once over. She feels heat in her own gaze and when she looks to Ruby's eyes she feels it reflected there, and heat pools low in her stomach. She blinks before joining the rest of the cheer squad and tries desperately to ignore the knowing glances of Coco and Nora.

It doesn't end there though, no, after practice the team heads into the locker room to change, and while Weiss and Coco talk about upcoming news the rest of the squad changes and moves on. Coco follows soon after, and Weiss is left alone with her thoughts. She thinks about the redhead with silver eyes, the bright smile she allows humanity to witness, and the way she looked at Weiss, hungry in a different way.

The locker room door creeks, and Weiss looks up to see the silver pools she had just been thinking of, and realizes all at once that she is still partially naked.

"Uhhh-"

"What are you doing in here you dunce!" She comes off far more aggressive than she means to, but she can feel her cheeks warm at the sight of broad shoulders and toned abs. She moves forward shoving the taller girl out of the locker room, but Ruby holds steady, (Weiss can feel Ruby's muscles tense under her palms, and she wants to sink her teeth into tense skin.) Ruby holds firm, causing Weiss to lose her balance and tumble into Ruby, sending them both to the floor.

"I-I'm sorry!" The redhead yelps, hands up to protect from any attack, verbal or otherwise, Weiss however is far more distracted with the way the lights reflect in silver eyes. She watches Ruby's tongue flicker out to wet dry lips, the movement mesmerizing, before blue eyes shoot back up to hazy silver.

She realizes suddenly that they're very close, nearly topless, and Weiss desperately wants to lean forward and kiss those soft lips-

"What are you doing?" It comes out low in a whisper, too afraid of breaking this trance between them. She watches the redhead swallow, thick and slow, and she follows the motion down. She wants to trace the path with her lips, press soft desperate bites with hungry teeth, and hear the sounds the basketball player would make between her legs.

"Just trying to change into my new jersey." It's almost a gasp, and Weiss' eyes flicker back up to stormy gray before she's able to reign herself back and sit up. The energy between them is palpable, a physical tug between them

"Just be more careful next time." She knows she's still flushing, her face feels hot and her hands shake. She turns away, trying to take a deep breath before continuing the interaction.

Ruby sits up then, just in time for Weiss to turn back, and find herself nose to nose with the attractive athlete. She stands quickly, and without thinking offers her hand to the other girl. She turns back to her locker, tugging her white sweater over her head before turning back to the taller girl. Ruby's managed to tug her jersey over her ridiculously attractive shoulders and is smiling brightly into the floor length mirror against the wall.

"It looks good." She doesn't mean to say it out loud, but doesn't regret it when shining silver eyes meet hers. "Not that you looked bad before."

"I could say the same to you." she feels her cheeks flush again, but smiles nonetheless.

"Yes well, I always look good."

The next few encounters have Weiss' head spinning, and while she's standing at the sidelines with Coco and Nora at her side, the sight of Ruby jogging onto the court takes her breath away. She's in her crimson jersey, and matching shorts, her hair pulled into the smallest ponytail possible, showing off a tan neck and a show-stopping smile. She's not sure if the lights in the gym are purposely following the redhead around the court, or if she has stars in her eyes.

The game is one of the most exciting she's ever seen, and though Blake would later push that "It's because of that tall point guard isn't it?" she'd deny it. The game is tied with two minutes remaining, and there's a singular moment that catches her attention. Ruby is running along the edge of the court, and locks eyes with her, and time slows down as she passes. Weiss watches her blink in slow motion before a wide grin splits her face and Ruby holds up her hand, thumb to her ear and pinky to her lips, as she winks and mouths 'call me.'

The next two minutes feel like the longest and shortest two minutes of her life. It takes forever for Ruby to get the ball, and Weiss watches her fake right, then left, before moving slightly away from the net, directly behind the three-point line. She jumps to make the shot, and time slows again. The buzzer rings, and moments later the ball swooshes through the net, pulling them one point ahead of the Haven Wyverns. The whole gym erupts into cheers, and Weiss herself would deny cheering herself if it hadn't been such a spectacular play.

She watches the team hoist Ruby above their shoulders as they begin chanting "Rose! Rose! Rose!" She grins, and Weiss expects her to get fully lost in the cheers, but the redhead looks almost frantically towards her. Weiss smiles, mirroring the hand signal she had used before her final shot, and mouthing the same phrase she's been running through her head for two minutes straight, 'call me.'

She has the text before she even exits the gym, it's exactly the tone she'd been expecting;

Ruby: this is ruby! ready for that party?!

With a smile she punches in a response, before Coco loops an arm around her shoulders.

Weiss: I did say I would come if you won. What dorm are you in?

She ignores Coco's devilish grin for all of three minutes before she turns to the brunette with a frown. "Can I help you!?"

"No, but I bet I could help you." She gestures lazily behind her to her faunus girlfriend, and the rest of the basketball team. "I'm joining Velv and the rest of the team for dinner, if you want I could talk to her." Weiss' eyes zero in on the bouncing redhead at the center, looking pointedly right at her phone. When she looks up again she grins at Sun and Weiss hears a soft chime from her own pocket.

Ruby: gryphon! ill be there in an hour! ill keep you in the loop!

Beside her Coco whistles low, "Maybe you don't need any of my help." Weiss scoffs, pulling her shoulder out from under the fashion major, and stepping away.

"I'm perfectly capable of getting my own dates Coco, thank you very much." The brunette smiles again, wide and toothy.

"Who said anything about a date?" Weiss feels her cheeks heat up, and she opens and closes her mouth in response. "What happened to little miss 'I'm straight Coco! Please don't kiss me! I'm saving myself!'" Weiss shoves her shoulder playfully, but smiles herself.

"What can I say? I guess I'm into tan redheads with silver eyes." Coco whistles again before moving towards her girlfriend.

"Silver eyes huh?" And with that she waives and leaves Weiss to her silence.

The soft hum of the radio floats through Weiss' apartment as she bustles from bedroom to the bathroom and back again. Her hair is still a little wet, but it's been nearly an hour and she needs to be ready soon. The familiar chime of her text tone pulls her out of her thoughts, and she nearly lunges at the small device.

Ruby: ok! im here now!

She takes one more look at herself in the mirror before scurrying out the door and down the street. She's ten feet from her apartment when she hears a soft rustling behind her. She sighs, turning in time to spot amber eyes and a confident smile. "If you wanted to come along you could have just asked." And Blake smiles mischievously, "Or were you just trying to scare me?"

Blake laughs low and husky, letting her eyes trail over Weiss's outfit approvingly. "And miss you flirting? Never."

"Blake Belladonna, are you saying I can't flirt?"

"I'm saying I've never seen you flirt, because in all the time we've known each other you've never been interested in another person like this. I'm interested." Blake smiles and it makes Weiss roll her eyes before linking arms with the stoic teen.

"People are going to talk seeing you walk into a post game party with a cheerleader."

With a hardy laugh, Blake bumps shoulders with the shorter woman, "I know. What if they think we're dating?"

This time Weiss laughs, soft and airy, as they arrive at the rawkus dorm housing and it takes a moment for Weiss to take in the totality of the event. The entire dorm is moving, the steady drum of base vibrates the ground in a vaguely familiar rhythm, and she feels her chest tighten a little. Beside her Blake tenses before taking a deep breath and nudging Weiss in the ribs lightly.

"There's your girl." Rolling her eyes again, Weiss moves her gaze across the rowdy party to stormy silver. She nearly gasps and her heart skips a beat when those eyes darken. There's a busy blonde that she vaguely recognizes wrapped around Ruby's shoulders, and she feels a pang of jealousy in her chest, but she doesn't have the chance to dwell on it when the rambunctious blonde known as Sun Wukong dumps an entire beer over Ruby's head.

There's not thought in her next action, she strides across the packed room directly to Ruby's side. "Wukong you idiot, why would you do that?" She pushes damp hair out of Ruby's face, and sees a soft flush along tan cheeks and she catches herself.

"Sorry there Ice Queen, this one yours?" He gestures to Ruby with a playful grin and Weiss feels the implication, cheerleaders get their pick of the sports teams.

"Careful monkey boy, that's my little sister." The busty blonde woman snaps before turning to Weiss with a grin, and suddenly she knows who she is; Yang Xiao Long, resident party girl, and star of the boxing team, (and apparently Ruby's older sister.)

Without panicking, Weiss tries to remove herself from the situation, "She's a person Sun. Let's get you cleaned up Ruby." She grabs hold of the taller girl's hand, and tugs Ruby in a vague direction away. "Where's your room?" She asks quietly, and Ruby's pupils dilate and she has to correct herself, "To get you changed, dolt."

Nodding softly, Ruby pulls Weiss towards the right and leads them down a hallway. "Do you want a drink? It is a party..."

Weiss nods slowly, the reality of the situation dawning on her. She was at a party. A rowdy party with alcohol, and a very attractive basketball player that Weiss had definitely been thinking about kissing more than she'd like to admit. "Yes, I'd like a drink."

Ruby grabs two colorful bottles out of a cooler in a hallway and hands one to Weiss. She turns two more corners before stopping in front of a door with a poster taped to it. It's a recruitment poster for the college and Weiss can't help but smile. The taller girl pushes a key into the door and opens it, shuffling herself and Weiss in.

"Should I lock it?" Weiss feels hot all over, but she nods easily, better safe than sorry. She watches, heart a heavy thump in her chest as Ruby locks the door and moves to the closet.

She tries to avert her gaze, looking around the small dorm room. The Beacon University of Vale was one of the best schools in the country, and had some of the more personaldorms. It was small, but it was a single room for a single person, and the student;s appreciated it. Ruby's room was small, her bed pushed into the corner of the room, against the window. There were a few posters on the wall, bands she didn't know and athletes she was only vaguely familiar with. She hears a soft shuffling and feels a cold spike of panic race up her spine before whatever had been rustling moves and lunges at her, making her let out a blood curdling scream.