Special Thanks

Xlyra from AO3 helped with storyline development and was one of the people

who helped inspire this story! Thank you so much for the help!

Mikotizini from FF.N helped with the editing of the final draft for chapter 1 and was the other

person whose work inspired me! Thank you as well!

Sky has helped with editing and proofreading the final draft of this chapter!

(Sky is not a fanfiction author, but is an amazing editor!

Make sure to give this great person some extra love!)

Give their works a look! They are truly amazing!

A Painting in the Park

Chapter 12

Ruby awoke to the soft ringing of an alarm, which confused her. Since when were alarms nice enough to be quiet? She groaned out and attempted to move but found herself incapable of moving much more than her arms. Why couldn't she move? After quickly glancing around she let out a gasp.

She was still in Weiss' apartment! She couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep on the other girls' couch! But why didn't she call Yang and have her picked up? Ruby's eyes furrowed in confusion for a brief moment. Her train of thought was quickly interrupted when she felt movement.

Ruby hazarded a glance down towards herself, having not even gotten that far in her inspection after noticing where she was. Another gasp quickly came out of her mouth when she saw Weiss with her arms wrapped around her waist and her head resting on her abdomen. She didn't really know what to do so she sat there with her eyes wide and a smile, which was not at all creepy, growing on her face.

That was until Weiss pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked back at Ruby. Although it wasn't quite the same way she normally looked. Instead, she had a dull and far off look in her eyes. Ruby's eyes furrowed as she stared at the blank expression looking up at her. Weiss then crawled up Ruby's body, causing a blush to grow rampant on the younger girls face.

"W-weiss? You doing alright?" Ruby asked, not really wanting to know the answer. She thankfully didn't get much more than some mumbles in response. Although the blank expression was still staring at her.

After a few moments of staring at each other, Weiss finally drops back down. Ruby's eyes go wide when she feels where Weiss decides to nuzzle her head. This wasn't what she had been expecting when she woke up! Not that she didn't enjoy this though.

Weiss mumbled out some words once again, although Ruby understood none of them. After struggling for a few moments Ruby relaxed once more. Weiss loosened her grip after that point, making things a bit more comfortable. Ruby thought she could see a small smile on the girls' lips as a quite audible and happy sounding sigh came from Weiss.

Ruby giggled at everything that was happening. She was really happy watching Weiss wake up. It was almost too cute for her to handle. Sadly enough Ruby's giggling seemed to snap Weiss into full consciousness.

Weiss' head slowly rose to reveal her wide eyes, which were now bright and focused. Ruby had to hold in more giggles as she watched Weiss almost completely transform. Gone was that beautiful pale skin. Instead, Weiss was now as red as a tomato and slowly growing darker shades.

"Morning, sunshine. Having fun there?" Ruby teased. She didn't really know how they ended up like this but she wasn't really complaining. Especially when Weiss let out a groan and buried her face in her chest once more. The platinum-haired girl let out a muffled reply before sighing.

"So what was that, Weiss? You have to speak up." Ruby let out another giggle as Weiss raised her head and glared at her.

"Shut it, you dolt. And I was just saying how I do not even care about this sort of thing, this early in the morning. So that being said, I am going to go back to using you as a pillow." Weiss grumbled out before falling back down and pulling the blanket up. Ruby grinned before remembering something.

"Oh, uh Weiss? Don't know if this is important or anything, but your alarm is what woke me up not too long ago." Weiss shot up as soon as Ruby said those words.

"I have work! I need to go get ready for the meeting that was scheduled for today!" Weiss said as she scrambled to get up and go get ready. Ruby only stared after the girl, enjoying the sight she was presented when the other girl ran off. She shook her head to clear it and to rid herself of that goofy smile before Weiss got back.

Ruby relaxed back into the couch while Weiss got ready for work. She was going to have to ask Weiss about last night though. She remembered watching movies with the other girl and then… nothing. She kinda hoped Weiss would know how they ended up completely entangled.

Ruby grinned. She was also going to enjoy the blushing that would no doubt take place when she asked as well. Weiss was always pretty easy to embarrass. Well, for her at least. And it was definitely something she took quite a bit of pride in.

She decided to curl up on the couch around one of the throw pillows. It wasn't quite as nice now that Weiss had gotten up but she didn't mind too much. Ruby pulled the blanket up over herself and hummed happily. She had really enjoyed herself last night.

Ruby gave off a sigh of contentment before slowly drifting back to sleep. She had always been one to sleep in, even though she was easily woken. And she found Weiss' couch to be quite comfortable as well. Besides, the other girl wouldn't mind if she went back to sleep. Right?

Weiss stepped out of the bathroom only wearing the towel she had brought with her into the room. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned her head backward, her already dry hair hanging loose. After a few minutes though she squared her shoulders and proceeded to hurry about and get ready for work.

She had forgotten that she'd have to go into the office early today. Something about some rich patron interested in lending their support to the company. She didn't necessarily have to come in, but as the head editor for many of the top selling books, they published she had been asked to do so anyway.

After getting dressed and putting her hair into a formal ponytail, one that was offset just how she liked it, Weiss headed back into her living room. She pulled out a grapefruit for breakfast as she went around and gathered her things. Right before heading out the door though, she noticed something.

A grin spread across her face as she saw that Ruby was curled up on her couch, asleep once more. She quickly walked over and planted a quick kiss to the other girl's forehead before pulling a piece of paper from her work bag. She then wrote a short note for the sleeping girl, letting her know that she could stay as long as she'd like.

Weiss stood up to leave but hesitated once more. After a moment she leaned back over and added when she'd be returning as well. The paper was then folded neatly and set down on the coffee table with Ruby's name written the side facing up. She then finally started towards the door, only stopping in order to ruffle Ruby's head on her way out. She let out a smile when she heard a happy murmur being released as she reached the door.

She had a feeling that today was going to be a good one. It had been a great start, even if it had been embarrassing. However, she knew just how to turn those tables around. A smirk appeared on Weiss' face as she thought about what she was going to say to Ruby next time she saw her, which would hopefully be when she got home. She may be thick at times, but she was still pretty sure that Ruby liked her. Which bode well for her.

Weiss climbed into her car and tossed her bag neatly into the passenger seat and started the car before snapping herself in. Her mind turned towards the meeting as she drove down the road towards her work building. She was kind of interested in who this possible patron was going to be. She just hoped that her father hadn't somehow managed to be drawn towards the small little publishing company she was hired at. That could spell trouble.

Weiss' forehead scrunched up at that thought. But the smile quickly returned when she remembered the sleeping image of Ruby. The girl was just too cute sometimes! The thought of all the times she remembered where Ruby was overly cute or adorable in the little interactions they'd had nearly made her squeal happily.

She'd have to ask Ruby on an official date sometime soon, she reasoned as she pulled into the parking lot. The thought made her nervous. More nervous than she'd ever remembered being. More nervous than when she had been planning on leaving her fathers mansion and restraints with Blake. But the thought also made her happier then she would've thought possible. And it showed on her face as she exited the car.

"Hey there Snow Angel! You seem to be quite happy today." A man with sandy yellow hair called out to her. Normally Weiss would've grimaced at his greetings but today she took it all in stride, far too happy to be dissuaded by someone like him hitting on her.

"Yes, Jaune. I am quite happy today. This morning was… different. But I enjoyed it." Weiss said, intending to keep a bit cryptic about it all. She didn't know why but the boy wouldn't stop hitting on her. It usually got on her nerves, although she hadn't realized why up until a little while ago.

"I can tell! You didn't even get upset when I called you 'Snow Angel'! Which you always do." Jaune replied as they walked through the building. He obviously took her like of rebuttal to mean he had a chance today. She should probably tell him though so he could move on. She sighed, not liking what she had to do one bit. Ruby must be rubbing off on her, as she wouldn't have been bothered by this a few months ago.

"Jaune, please listen to me. I know you're trying to hit on me and all and I know you like me, but you should know that it will never work out how you imagine it would. You are… you are a good guy and all, just not the kind of person for me. I am… how do I put this? I am gay I guess you could say. But I think that red-haired girl from the gym down the street would give you a chance if you let her."

'Oum, I sound so cheesy. This was a bad plan. Damn it, Ruby I blame you for this.'

Weiss gave out a sigh and looked over at Jaune. She expected him to be on the verge of breaking down, but oddly enough he didn't look too bad for someone who had gotten his heart broken. He gave her a sad smile when he saw her looking.

"Yeah, I kinda figured you would say something like that. Not the gay part, mind you. That's not something I would've pegged you for. But Pyrrha? I don't have a chance in hell with her. Sort of like how I never really had a chance with you." Jaune chuckled and Weiss felt a little bad.

"I think you have a pretty good chance with her actually. The way she looks at you seem to be a bit similar to how I look at… Anyways, you should try talking to her. It'll help I am sure. Anyways, do you have any clue who the new possible sponsor could be?" Weiss replied, eager to change the topic. It seemed to work as Jaune was immediately thoughtful. He might not have been great at most things, but he was quite adept at management positions and paperwork so he would know about this.

"If I had to hazard a guess, it could be one of three groups. Ozpin from Beacon, Salem from Grimm something or other, or… Maybe Jaquess from Schnee? Or maybe Klein. Either way, those three groups have been interested in us for the past few months. I'm not sure why though. Why would they be interested in a small time writing publisher?" Jaune pondered.

Weiss didn't respond, having gone pale. She should've guessed that her father would be interested in the publisher she worked at. He had probably figured out where she worked and wanted to take her home again… no, not home, but the Schnee mansion. She didn't want to go back. Home was where she was now.

Weiss' mind flashed, showing her an unpleasant memory. She saw a figure in a white suit with white hair. He was standing over her, face twisted in fury as her eyes blurred with tears. Then, suddenly, there was laughter. Familiar and comforting laughter.

The scene gradually changed and she was with Ruby. It was one of the days they had spent together at the park. They had been sitting where they had first met and they were laughing, together, about some stupid joke that Ruby had learned from her sister. She remembered that it had been slightly inappropriate and that they had been blushing as they laughed.

Suddenly, life wasn't quite as close to ruining as she had thought it was moments ago. She had a life now, and she wasn't going to back down from it. Her father wouldn't take it, not today. Not ever. A small, determined smile spread onto her face as the color returned. Or what little there had been, to begin with, she thought with an inward pout.

Jaune was giving her a weird look as she squared her shoulders. Whoever would be meeting them didn't matter. She just had to psyche herself up for it. They entered the meeting room and sat down together. She briefly had the thought that she hadn't even considered that it could've been one of the other two people. Or why they had been interested in the company. She pushed that away though as she heard footsteps approach the door. They were pushed open to reveal…

Ruby yawned as she woke up and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was around 11, meaning she should probably eat something. Or she could just lay there and be lazy. Her mind had an in-depth verbal debate as to which choice was the better one. It lasted a whole 12 seconds before her stomach growled, making up her mind for her.

She let out a groan as she pulled herself up, only now noticing that she was still on Weiss' couch. The next thing she noticed was a small piece of paper with her name on it. Intrigued, Ruby picked up the paper an read it. To her delight, it was a note giving her permission to stay as long as she liked and a time for when Weiss would be back. She stored the second part away, planning to make some food for the other girl to come back to.

Ruby sprang to her feet happily and walked towards the kitchen. She was really hungry but that wasn't surprising. She was almost always hungry, after all. The haunting suspicion that Weiss was starting to figure that out made Ruby grin sheepishly as she looked at a fully stocked fridge. There was an entire section of the fridge dedicated to sweets and she knew for sure that Weiss wasn't exactly big on that kind of stuff.

A glance to the window made her forehead furrow slightly. She could have sworn she saw a flash of green outside. Maybe it was just a leaf or something though. Nothing to get too concerned about probably. She should instead focus on getting something in her belly! That seemed like the best course of action.

So that's exactly what was going to happen! Ruby hummed to herself as she started cooking up some food. She wasn't the best in the kitchen but she knew a few recipes. Her knowledge of food was mostly restricted to pancakes, cookies, and spaghetti though. So pancakes it was! Ruby giggled when she finally made up her mind on what to make, deciding that the spaghetti would be what Weiss came home to.

A blush crept up on her face when she had a thought. This is what a significant other usually did, wasn't it? Cooking food for their beloved while they were out working… Well… in that case, she would just have to make sure that the two of them ended up together pretty soon. Especially after this morning. After all, someone wouldn't behave that way if they had strictly 'friend only' feelings for another. Right? Right. Which means she had a shot.

Ruby smiled at that thought. She wanted to make Weiss happy. And while she probably couldn't do that with nice food, she could certainly try with other things. Her mind drifted off to her latest project, the rose that could hang from a hook and would turn from a budded flower to a bloom one if you were to twist the stem. It would make a good gift for when she asked the other girl out, she thought as she gently stroked her necklace. It was hiding under her shirt as usual, but it still gave her a sense of strength and encouragement.

A/N:

I REGRET NOTHING!

Except maybe the fact that I procrastinated

on this and had to stay up extra late in order to finish this

on time… Procrastinating is bad kids.

Don't do it.

Anyways! Leave a like, kudo, review, or something

of the likes! The more you do the more people that will

be able to read my story!

P.S. I apologize ahead of time. I've been watching

Future Diaries while writing lately… Which means

that things might get a little angsty or vicious. Which

was not in the plan when I originally made the plan for this

fanfic heh. But I hope it all turns out enjoyable anyways!