I Think I Like You

Chapter 23: Music Festival

I've decided I love winter.

Not because of the snow on the ground, crunching under my shoes as I'm passing out wristbands to people entering the Music Festival, and not because of the warm drinks, nights spent huddled under some warm blankets playing video games, or having to shovel the driveway just so your sister can trudge her motorcycle through the slippery concrete, while you watch from the front yard.

No, not because of any of those things.

I love winter because of the memories it gives me, the ones that resurface unknowingly, making me grasp at them and hold them down, near and dear to my heart.

I've decided I love winter because of the people that surround me, my friends and family that, for some reason, seem so much closer and so much more important now that my last year of high school is officially halfway over.

Earlier this morning, I was so excited for today. I could barely wait to get out of bed, which is saying a lot, considering I almost miss my alarm every day.

The rest of the school day went by in a blur, most of the council members unable to skip our classes because we've been missing so much these past few weeks. However, as soon as that last bell rang, you bet your ass I was dragging Weiss down the hallway and into the council room to grab the tickets and anything else needed for last minute set up.

She had made multiple protests for me to slow down, but as soon as heard the marching band outside the school hallways, starting to bang those drums and bring in the steady beat of chorusing wind instruments, it was hard for me not to feel giddy with excitement.

We had met up with some of the other council members at the courtyard entrance, who were already handing out tickets and wristbands to a flood of students, parents with younger children, and faculty that were waiting in a line that looked more like a huge swarm of people.

Weiss had immediately grabbed a whistle out of her skirt pocket and blew it, making me cringe and hold my hands over my ears, while she barked orders for people to form multiple lines at the ticket tables and telling them how much of a safety hazard they were being.

After we got the lines sorted, we went back towards the banner at the entrance, where we're currently standing, along with Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune handing out wristbands to people who bought their tickets.

Kids race by us in their winter coats and snow boots, the school band's boisterous playing making them giggle and run with excitement. They barely payed any mind to us, making us have to quickly reach over and hand them a wristbands before they run off.

Crowds go by in a flurry of greetings and thank you's. I see many people who I recognize from some of my classes and around campus, all of whom I give a shy wave of acknowledgment to as I hand them their wristbands and tell them to enjoy the festival.

I watch Weiss out of the corner of my eye, standing on the opposite side of the entrance from me. Her blue beanie is keeping the hair out of her eyes and her festival shirt is just barely visible through the thick winter coat she's wearing, one of those coats that goes down to her knees and almost to where her boots begin.

She smiles at a passing older-couple and I see her mouth words to them that I can't make out. I absentmindedly hand off a few more of the brightly colored bands to people as they pass by, all the while attempting to get a glimpse of my girlfriend any chance I get.

After about a half-hour, the crowd coming in dies down to a moderate level, leaving just a few of the council members at the entrance as some of the others leave to enjoy the festival.

I turn and spot two familiar faces at the ticket booths. Feeling a smile of recognition stretch across my face, I wave to get their attention.

My uncle gives me a wave back and taps my dad on the back to get his attention, nodding in my direction. Once they buy their tickets, my dad opens his arms as he approaches me. I find myself laughing and meeting him halfway across the school entrance to hug him back.

"Hey there, Squirt." My uncle says, reaching over and ruffling my hair. "Your old man here invited me to come check out your festival. Looks cool so far but I'll give you my full review later."

"I'm so glad you guys could make it!" I exclaim, giving my dad one last squeeze before letting him go. "I think Yang is somewhere in the courtyard, probably near the stage. If you see her, tell her that we might need more wristbands from the library."

My dad flashes me a thumbs up and a grin. "Will do, kiddo. This place looks great!"

"It is pretty impressive." Uncle Qrow states, whistling and looking over at the stage, where the band is continuing to play, and all the stalls littered about the courtyard on freshly shoveled grass.

"Oh, you have no idea. This took us ages." I huff, reaching into my jacket pocket to hand them each a band, however my hand comes back empty, making me realize I don't have any more on me.

"Oh shoot." I say, looking around and spotting Weiss still standing at the entrance. "Weiss!" I call, waving her over.

She looks surprised by my outburst but walks over with a questioning look, eyes glancing between me and my family.

"Do you have any more wristbands? I ran out."

She only nods and reaches into her pocket to grab two bands.

"Is this your friend- ah, what was it again- Weiss?" My dad questions.

I feel my eyes widen a bit in realization that I had called her over by her name. Nervously pulling at the red scarf around my neck, I nod. "Yeah, this is Weiss." I say, motioning to the girl still sifting through her pockets. "Weiss, this is my dad and my Uncle Qrow."

"Well, hello there!" My dad says reaching out his hand to shake. "You're the council president, right? Ruby has told me lots about you!"

"Dad." I whine in embarrassment.

With her hand that's not sifting through her pocket, Weiss grasps my dad's hand with her own, giving it a quick but firm shake.

"Greetings, Mr… Xiao-Long? Apologies if that's incorrect. It's wonderful to meet you."

My dad waves her off and graciously takes the bands from Weiss, handing one over to Qrow.

"Please, call me Tai. Compared to the trouble this one here must cause," He says, motioning to me. "it's really no bother."

"Hey-!" I begin to protest.

"Oh, I assure you Ruby is quite alright! She's a huge help and I'm grateful to have her in the council. Her sister on the other hand is, well… another story…" Weiss murmurs the last part, grimacing.

My dad laughs a big jovial laugh. "Oh, ain't that the truth!"

Uncle Qrow chuckles and I can see him watching me as Weiss and I exchange a knowing look.

"Hey, Princess," My uncle says, nodding towards Weiss's wrist. "Nice bracelet you got there."

As if on reflex, Weiss grabs the snowflake bracelet dangling around her wrist, just in view because of her somewhat short jacket sleeve. For the first time since walking over here, she looks a little nervous, eyes darting towards mine and then back to her wrist.

"Oh, yes, t-thank you." She stutters.

"Looks… familiar?" Qrow says, perking his eyebrow. "Where'd you get it from?"

"Where I got it from? Hmm… I-I'm not quite sure I remember…"

My Uncle quirks his eyebrow up a little more and gives us a sideways glance. Thankfully, my dad hits him on the shoulder and takes a step around Weiss.

"Alright, Qrow, let's quit bothering the kids and go check out this festival!" He hollers. "You coming or what?"

My dad motions for my uncle to follow him, making Qrow groan and trudge behind him.

Weiss and I both wave them off, Qrow turning around momentarily to give me a wink. I feel my face heat up and I grimace as I turn to Weiss.

"You think he…?" I leave my question unfinished, knowing Weiss understands the implications.

"Let's hope not." She sighs. "My heart could barely handle meeting your family like that so suddenly, let alone having one of them realize we're together."

I roll my eyes and offer her a grin. "Oh, come on. You did great, Weiss. My dad really seemed to like you… which is kinda odd considering the things Yang normally says."

"Oh? And what does Yang normally say about me?" She questions, eyebrows raised.

My mouth forms a thin line before I give a nervous laugh and look away. "O-Only good things, of course!"

"Of course." Weiss mimics, snidely, but I can tell she's holding back a smile. "Come on, lets keep handing out these wristbands."

We move back to our positions, only a trickle of late-comers being left at the ticket booths. The band has now moved to wind instruments only and the melodies are a lot softer.

I notice Weiss, who is standing next to me now, looking disappointedly over at the gate every few minutes. After she does this for about a fifth time, I look over her shoulder and notice a few small groups of students and parents entering.

I turn my head to her, questioningly. "Looking for someone?" I ask.

Weiss continues staring at the gate for a few more moments before casting a downtrodden look at the light snow that covers the grass.

"No, I… It's nothing."

I frown at her, not liking the dejected look casted around her face.

"Weiss!" Someone strictly shouts from very near us, making us both jump and swiftly turn around.

Winter stands behind us, hands held behind her back and an eyebrow already raised in questioning. Her hair is up in the same neat bun I've seen her wearing the previous times I've seen her and she's wearing a long, white jacket.

"You came!" Weiss exclaims with disbelief, quickly walking over to the older Schnee and wrapping her arms around her.

Winter looks somewhat taken aback at first, as though she hadn't expected it, however, after a moment, she reciprocates the hug.

I give the older sister a shy wave and she nods at me in acknowledgement, still holding Weiss to her chest.

After a moment, Winter places her hands on Weiss's shoulders and pulls her back, giving her a smile. "Of course I came. I'll admit it was a bit tricky to get out of some meetings, but with how much you've been stressing over this how could I miss it?"

"It means a lot, Winter. Thank you." Weiss says, reaching over to give her sister a wristband.

"No thanks necessary, I'm simply supporting my family is all." She says, humbly. "And I'll admit I might be curious about what old Oz is up to these days. I haven't seen him since my time in the council."

"He should be helping somewhere backstage." I cut in, stepping over to stand beside Weiss. "You're more than welcome to check back there. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Winter nods her thanks and then looks between me and Weiss.

"I hope everything is going well on your end, Ruby?" She inquires.

"Huh?" I question, looking confusedly between the two Schnee's before realizing she must be talking about my relationship with Weiss. "Oh, yeah totally!" I say, leaning over and wrapping an arm around Weiss's neck, shaking her for emphasis. "Like two peas in a pod!"

Weiss's quickly reddening face cringes and Winter raises an eyebrow at me. "Don't get too cozy there, Ruby. As a Schnee, my sister deserves to be treated with only the highest amounts of respect and dignity. I trust in her judgement of partners of course, but that's not to say I'm not keeping an eye on you."

I let go of Weiss's shoulder, scratching the back of my neck and nervously laughing. "Heh, trust me, you've got nothing to worry about." I quickly affirm. "She's in good hands, I promise!"

Winter's eyebrow only raises further.

"Not like literally or anything-!" I fumble for words. "I meant, like, I'll take care of her! Not that I'm putting my hands on her or anything-!"

"Is that so? Then could you explain to me the reason Weiss didn't come home Wednesday night? She came back awfully early yesterday morning."

I gulp and fidget with the cuffs of my jacket. "Ah- well, you see- there was a, uhm, a thing-" I ramble.

Thankfully, Weiss steps in to save me from my terrible people skills.

"O-kay." She stresses, coughing and stepping closer to Winter. "Why don't you go enjoy the festival. Text me later and we'll get some coffee or something."

Winter smirks, seeming to knowingly accept the change in subject. We then wave her off and I turn to Weiss, letting out a relived breath of air.

"Thanks for-" Thump. "-Ow!?"

I put my hand to my freshly thumped forehead in shock.

"Could you be any more obvious?" Weiss fumes at me, hands settling on her hips. "Just because we engaged in…" She trails off, her eyes shifting around and her voice lowering considerably. "Scandalous behavior – does not mean you have to act like an absolute buffoon around my sister."

I rub my forehead and make a whining noise. "I'm sorry, Weiss. I didn't mean to… and you can just say the word sex, you know?"

Weiss actually sputters, her face turning as red as a fire engine, and presumably not because of the cold weather.

I find myself chuckling at her unexpected and flustered response. "You know, before we did that you were acting all calm and in control. Now, you're acting like complete mess honestly." I continue to tease her.

Weiss stomps her boot on the ground and points an angry finger at me. "Ruby Rose! You better close that mouth or so help me-!"

"You weren't saying that the other night-"

"Shut it!"

"And now for the band to play a new piece they have been working very hard on, The Impression That I Get by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones!"

As Weiss announces the next performance, the crowd in front of the stage cheers, and I find myself smiling from behind the curtain, watching as Weiss gracefully walks by the band as they begin playing the loud and rambunctious marching theme.

The rest of the festival has been going great.

We were relieved of our positions by some of the staff at the ticket tables, who were just going to give tickets and the wristbands out to latecomers from the front tables.

I had met up with my dad and uncle for a bit and we had gotten some pizza from one of the food stalls, watching the performances as we ate. The school band and some of the independently hired bands that we got to perform were all pretty good, but my favorite part by far was whenever Weiss came on stage to announce the next performer.

"If you keep staring like that, your mouth is gonna catch flies, kid." My uncle stated when he had caught me staring at Weiss.

I had quickly felt my face flush and insinuated I didn't know what he was talking about, but if he had any clue he didn't let on.

After that, I excused myself, so I could check on a few things around the courtyard and then sit behind stage and see Weiss for a bit, which brings me to where I am now, giving her the biggest thumbs-up as she walks behind the curtain.

"Gah! I'm so proud of you!" I squeal, dragging her off to the side and squishing her in a bear hug.

She decidedly lets it happen and even hugs me back momentarily. "Ruby, please, my lungs are at their limit." She wheezes after about a minute.

I lessen my grip but keep my arms around Weiss's waist. The band begins playing even louder and it becomes hard for me to hear myself think, which makes me pull Weiss off further to the side, where we're pretty much hidden by the curtains and some speaker equipment.

"Everything is going great." I reassure her. "I just checked in with Ozpin and Glynda and they told me the sales were through the roof. So many kids brought their families and invited friends! This is great!"

"Well, of course it is. The council planned this, did we not?" She states rhetorically, her hands fiddling with my scarf.

I grin and dip my head in to kiss her, pressing my lips against hers and reaching my hand up to cup the back of her head. It's a short and sweet kiss, yet she still drives me crazy with the way she instantly folds into it, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side before pulling away.

"You need to learn how to behave yourself, Ruby." Weiss scolds, using a hand to primp her white bangs that flow out of her beanie.

I look away and meekly nod my head, understanding that now isn't the time for this. "I'm sorry. I know."

Ever since that night with Weiss, I haven't been able to keep my mind off of her. Her smile, her voice, her body. No matter what I do, however many times I see her or kiss her, I can't get enough of her.

I remember vivid feelings of her breath in my ear, and images of her soft and pale skin, radiating a warmth that can't be mimicked by any other source in the universe. She's so freaking gorgeous that sometimes just looking at her makes the familiar heat rise in my stomach, especially now that nothing is left up to my imagination.

"Again, just because we did things – it does not make it alright for you to touch me whenever you please."

"Sorry, I know, I know. No touching in public, or without your permission." I sigh, releasing her waist and scuffing my shoe on the lightly-snowed ground.

With her face still flushed, Weiss coughs into her hand. "Yes, well, as long as you're aware..."

Over the instruments playing, I hear Yang call for us and I give Weiss a shrug as we walk back around the curtain and into view.

The music intensifies with the loud drums banging and the trumpets blaring in unison, making Yang motion us towards her with her hand, telling us to step away from the blaring instruments.

"There you guys are. I was looking all over for you." She exclaims, looking between us. "I hope only PG things were happening back here, hmm?"

Weiss crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "Ugh."

"What is it Yang?" I question.

She winks and beckons us to follow her, so we can see around the stage. "Come check it out. I can see Uncle Qrow and dad in the front row."

We wave at them through a few crowds of families and students passing by and after a few moments, they seem to notice us and wave back.

I notice Weiss scan the audience and watch as her face lights up upon seeing Winter amongst the crowd, chatting with Ozpin. She waves to her sister as well and turns to me with a rare toothy smile, making me completely forget where I am. She's always had one of those smiles that do that.

"Oh, you two are so cute!" Yang coos from behind us, throwing her arms around both of our shoulders and squeezing us together. "Can Blake and I be the bridesmaids at the wedding?"

Both Weiss and I blush furiously at the implications of a wedding. Catching Weiss's eyes, I see them wide with, not only shock, but some sort of wistfulness, like the idea made her happy. And the idea that the idea of us getting married making her happy – well – that's enough to make me thrilled beyond belief.

"Oh, I'm just kidding. You two look like you're about to burst from the blood pressure going to your heads. Blake and I picked up some really good hot chocolate and the council members are sitting at a table on the edge of the crowd watching the show. You should come join us if you're not too busy canoodling."

"We were not canoodling!" Weiss insists, exasperated. "Besides, I need to keep doing announcements-"

"For the whole festival?" My sister scoffs. "Yeah, I don't think so, Pres. I'll get one of the staff members to do it, don't worry your pretty little head and lets just enjoy this."

After some more useless protests from Weiss, Yang leads us through some of the crowd towards the council table, stopping one of the staff and giving them Weiss's clipboard, so they could do announcements in her place.

We make a few brief stops along the way, checking in with my dad and uncle, and Weiss meeting up with Winter and Ozpin. Our conversations were short-lived however, with the hustle of all the festival attendees making it hard to stop and talk to our family for too long. It didn't help with the band playing a loud, rambunctious beat either.

Eventually, Yang leads us to the far side of the crowd and we're greeted by a long table with a white cloth over it, a blue snowflake pattern running across it. The two chairs at the end are empty, along with a chair next to Blake, and all the members sit there chatting and drinking out of porcelain mugs.

Yang walks through a few groups of students standing around talking or watching the performance on stage, taking the seat next to Blake and causing the other members to glance around.

Nora is the first to spot us standing

"There's our stars of the hour! We've been wondering when you'd make it!" She exclaims, giving us an excited wave.

"We sent Yang to go find you." Ren clarifies as we pass by him, making our way to the empty chairs.

"Well, I'm glad we could make it." Weiss says, wiping some of the snow off her chair before smoothing her uniform skirt down and taking a seat.

"Put her there, Rubes!" Nora says as I pass her, turning in her chair and holding out her fist for me to bump.

I giggle and bump my fist against hers, both of us making an obnoxious explosion noise as we pull away.

"You two are ridiculous." Weiss mutters, picking up her hot chocolate and taking a sip.

Some of the other members laugh as Yang reaches over the table to fist bump Nora as well.

The sight of the council puts me more at ease, seeing as since this morning I've been so fidgety and excited for today. It's nice to have some more time to wind down and just appreciate everything we put in place for the festival.

Although, it appears all the members are somewhat giddy with excitement, riding the high off finally seeing our hard work come together, I suppose.

"And how are the rockstars of the hour doing?" Pyrrha says with a warm smile.

Jaune eagerly nods beside her and looks at both of us across the table "Yeah! We haven't seen you two all day!"

"Rockstars?" I question, wiping my fold-out chair off before taking my seat next to Weiss.

My sister gapes at me, exasperated. "Well, yeah, duh. Look around, this has to be the most successful event we've pulled off in council history. If we're not rockstars I don't know what we are."

After taking a long sip from her mug, Blake finally decides to speak up. "Perhaps we're just high school students who have managed to pull off something spectacular."

"I agree." Ren nods, wrapping his hand around his mug. "It feels like we were able to make something really special here. An event to be remembered and used as an example for future members."

Yang looks between the two, wrinkling her brow and pursing her lips. "…Rockstars sounds way cooler though." She mumbles, picking at the table cloth.

Weiss sighs, her breath coming out as a cloud and dissipating into the frigid air. "To answer your previous question, we've been quite busy with tickets and announcements all day, refilling multiple different drink and food stands, not to mention some of the game booths-"

"-What matters is that we're here now though." I cut her off, before she's inevitably able to go on a tangent. "And I'm glad we're all able to enjoy this together."

Words of agreement and content nods are shared all around the table. Some of the members begin chatting and bickering amongst themselves. I blow on my hot chocolate before taking a long sip out of the mug, savoring the warm liquid.

"Now that school's half-way over we've gotta start looking for new members!" Jaune inquires.

"Forget about searching for members." Nora says, leaning back in her chair and stretching. "After this festival is over, I'm spending my winter break curled up in a blanket, watching Netflix and gaining my sanity back."

"Can't lose what you never had." Yang sighs.

"Excuse you!?" Nora huffs, crossing her arms. "I'm plenty sane!"

Ren raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, taking another sip of his warm drink. The rest of the council make skeptical faces and look around distractedly.

"I can't believe you guys aren't going to back me up!" Nora counters. "Well, at least we won't be subjected to your terrible puns during break."

A mutual groan makes its way across the table at the mention of jokes around Yang, who holds a hand up to her chest and gasps. "You don't mean that!?"

"Bet." Nora smirks.

"You guys love my jokes though, right Blake?" She shakes the shoulder of her quiet friend beside her. "Remember the basketball one? Eh?"

"Ah, yeah, sure." She says, swatting Yang away from her.

My sister tsks and catches Weiss's eye across the table. "Hey, Pres, I gotta good one for you."

Weiss looks up from her mug and makes a look between disdain and contempt, her attempts at avoiding being part of this conversation seemingly fruitless.

"Are you ready?"

"No."

"What did the seal say when it swam into the concrete wall?"

Weiss only raises an eyebrow and Yang looks at her expectantly for a few moments.

"You're supposed to ask - I don't know, what did the seal say?"

"I don't know, what did the seal say?" Weiss mimics.

"Dam!" Yang finishes, laughing way to hard at her own joke.

It's only encouraged by Nora and Jaunes laughter as well, who are more likely laughing at Weiss's noncompliance rather than the terrible joke itself.

I find myself giving a chuckle and peeking over at Weiss, who's looking down at her mug somewhat distractedly.

I'm about to ask her what's wrong when she looks over to meet my gaze.

"Ruby." Weiss says, voice low and somewhat concerning.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

She shakes her head but looks up to me with uncertain eyes. "Well, I've been thinking a lot recently… and I've decided- …I've decided I want to tell the rest of the council."

My eyes widen in questioning. "Tell them…?"

"About us."

I set my hot chocolate down and give Weiss a concerned look. "Seriously? Right now?"

"After I give my speech, yes." She takes a deep breath and looks at me with firmness. "I'm tired of hiding it and I'm ready to be outright with our friends, regardless of my family's pretenses."

Weiss stands up and brushes off some light flurries from her skirt. She brings her hot chocolate mug up and hits it with a metal spoon that was sitting on the table for mixing. "May I please have everyone's attention for a toast?" She calls over the rowdy members, who eventually calm to a murmur.

One of the bands that the school hired is now playing a soft jazzy beat from the stage that many people are singing or swaying along to.

"Right, well, as you all know the Music Festival is what ends our mid-year agenda. I know we've all been working long and hard these past few weeks, but I think it's safe to say we can all rest easy over winter break. As you've said, this has ended up being the most successful mid-year event in the council's history thanks to all of you."

Some woops are heard from around the table and a few claps here and there.

"I guess I can begin by saying how grateful I really am to have you all not only in the council, but in my life. I know I can be a little hard to work with at times-"

Yang scoffs across the table and leans her jaw onto her hand. "A little? That's pretty generous, Pres."

Blake elbows her in the side, making her grunt, and Weiss rolls her eyes, continuing her speech.

"Okay maybe I can be moderately difficult at times - but I really don't know what I would do without you all helping me along the way." Weiss looks away for a moment, and I take notice for the reason that she is rarely unable to maintain eye contact with people.

"Being the president of this group… it's something I wouldn't trade for the world. I really do think about how thankful I am every day that you are all here to lend me a hand. At the beginning of this year I remember stressing about finding a new vice president, finding someone who I could trust to handle filing duties, and someone who knows how to handle a council budget… and now here I am with one of the most talented second hands, a filing system that is beyond what I could have asked for and a treasurer who was able to crunch numbers to make this happen." Weiss says, motioning around her.

"Don't go getting too sentimental on us." Pyrrha laughs from across the table, placing her hand over Jaune's.

…Well that's new.

"I too think we've all well deserved this." Ren humbly agrees. "It's only halfway through the school year, but I would say things are looking good for us."

"Don't forget my poster printing skills!" Nora chimes in from beside Ren. "I've had paper cuts for weeks!"

Weiss chuckles, good-naturedly, and nods. "Yes, of course I didn't forget that. I don't forget anything you guys do because you're all just as important to making this council run as the next member. We made this happen and let's not forget it – and to that I say cheers." She states, picking up her hot chocolate and raising it.

I grab mine as well and raise it up with the rest of the council members in a toast, looking expectantly at my amazing president.

"To exceeding expectations." She finishes.

"To exceeding expectations!" The rest of the council cheers, everyone bumping drinks together and taking a swig of the warm liquid.

"Ugh, this has to be the best hot chocolate ever." Nora blissfully exclaims.

Yang smirks across from her and swirls her mug a bit. "I know right? Velvet said she got the good stuff just for us."

"For real you guys?" Jaune questions looking down at his cup. "Mine tastes like watery syrup."

"You have to poor the mix in all the way, Dear." Pyrrha says, pitifully.

"Huh? Do you know where my mix went?" He questions.

Blake tilts her head and gives a chuckle into her mug as Yang skillfully slides the two empty packets of hot chocolate mix off the table and into her lap.

"Hey, I saw that!" Jaune whines.

"Saw what?" Yang asks with mock confusion.

Weiss sighs and clears her throat. "Before I let you all get back to it, there is something else I would like to disclose with you." She says, catching my eye and taking a breath.

"Weiss, you- you really don't have to." I lean in to let her know.

"I think it's about time, don't you?" She asks, her blue eyes meeting mine with a solemn look.

"But your father-"

Weiss shakes her head and sets her mug down on the table where a light dusting of snow had accumulated. "I honestly don't give a damn about what my father thinks of me anymore."

She clears her throat and I see a light flush of pink spread across her features, easily missed if you weren't looking for it. "Well, ehm, it's about the v-vice president and I, you see…"

Yang gets an impish grin on her face and Blake looks to Weiss with a raised eyebrow. The attention makes her pull at her collar peeking through her jacket in a nervous motion.

"You see, we are actually in a partnership or sorts- we have been having a close relationship for a while and it has escalated- no- accumulated?"

"Try developed!" Yang oh-so-helpfully cuts in across the table, only serving to make Weiss more nervous.

"Right, developed." She corrects herself. "Into a… It's somewhat complicated, well, not really actually, but I didn't intend for it to happen is what I s-suppose I'm trying to say. We have this-"

"Weiss and I are dating." I finish, knowing if I let her ramble any longer her head might implode.

Blank stares from across the table and a smirk is shot our way from Yang - a few jaw drops - and then a gasp from one end of the table.

"I knew it!" Nora yells, jumping from her chair and pointing an incriminating finger at Ren. "You owe me ten bucks!"

"Hah, gay!" Yang chortles, cupping her hands around her mouth. This earns her a smack in the ribs from Blake, who turns to us and gives a modest smile.

"We're happy for you." She simply says.

"Since when has this been a thing, if you don't mind me asking?" Pyrrha asks, giving us a smile.

Weiss and I look at each other, while I feel my brows furrow in thought. "Uhh, maybe since, like, a few months after school started?"

"That long!?" Jaune exclaims, leaning back in his chair and covering his face with his hands. "Oh, god. I feel like an idiot."

"There, there." Yang says, sarcastically leaning over to pat his head a few times.

"Well, I think you two are adorable." Nora states, holding her hand out. "It's the classic innocent girl meets tsundere plot, is it not?"

Ren shakes his head and just takes a disappointed sip of his hot chocolate.

"The what?" I ask, scratching my head in confusion.

Yang laughs again from her seat and raises an eyebrow at Nora. "Hah, yeah right, innocent my ass. I've caught these two-"

"-Anyways," Weiss loudly interrupts. "That is everything I have to say, so please enjoy the rest of you time spent at the festival and try your best not to slander your friends."

Yang sticks her tongue out at Weiss who proceeds to give her a signature death glare in return.

"Hey, everyone!" A voice calls from behind where Weiss and I were sitting.

We turn around to spot Velvet appearing through some of the crowd. She's wearing a thick winter coat with a scarf wrapped around her neck and has a fluffy white bag in hand.

"Velvet!" Pyrrha greets, giving a wave.

"I was wondering where you guys had set up, I forgot to give you this-"

"Marshmallows!" Yang and Nora cheer in unison, making Weiss wince and Velvet's eyes widen in surprise.

Yang places a hand to her chest and pretends to wipe a tear away. "Oh, what a blessing, really, you're too kind. Throw 'em here!" She says, standing and holding her arms out.

Velvet rolls her eyes and tosses the bag of miniature marshmallows over to the members.

"Hmph, just because they're all hopped up on sugar doesn't give them an excuse to act like animals." Weiss scoffs, turning to Velvet. "How is everything going?" She asks.

"Oh, great!" Velvet giggles, giving two thumbs up. "Ozpin helped us restock on the hot chocolate packets and everyone seems to be having a good time. You two really outdid yourselves."

"Sal-u-tations, councilmen!" someone greets, popping up behind an unsuspecting Velvet.

I say someone but, in reality, there's only one person it could be that would give such a robotic and classic greeting upon seeing me.

"Penny!" I exclaim, standing up and bouncing over to give my friend a hug. "I didn't know if I would get to see you today!"

"Why, of course! I do have yearbook duties, you know."

"You're into photography?" Velvet questions, turning to my orange-haired friend.

Penny eagerly nods. "Oh, yes. My father got me interested in the trade from a very young age!"

"Well, that's neat, you'll have to show me what you shoot sometime. I've always loved photography." Velvet admits.

"That's an understatement." Weiss says from beside me. "Remember when you were in the council? All the events you talked about getting to take photographs at?"

"Oh, those were the days." Velvet sighs.

"Enough chit-chat! Penny says, grabbing the camera around her neck and popping off the cap. "C'mon you two! Let me get a good shot of the president and vice president! That is what I came over here for."

I smile and sit back down next to Weiss, leaning over to wrap an arm around her shoulder as instructed by the somewhat bossy photographer, who also happened to be my best friend.

Velvet gives her some pointers on how to shoot, while Weiss and I attempt to ignore the whistling and jeering across the table from the other members. The only thing I can do is watch Weiss's reddening face out of the corner of my eye, knowing it's probably matching my own.

Penny finishes taking the pictures, inspecting them with Velvet and, upon request, showing some of the other members as well. The thing is, nothing they're saying really seems to get through to me at the moment.

Weiss and I watch each other, and I slip my arm from around her shoulder to clasp her hand that rests in her lap.

There are people all around us, chatting and laughing with one another, music blaring from the speakers on stage, kids chasing each other through the stalls. All of this is happening and yet this singular girl in front of me seems to take up all my attention, a lone spark in a vast field full of distractions, she's able to keep me grounded.

As cheesy as it sounds, it's almost like my heart just naturally follows her. I want to be a better person for her, make her smile and whisk her off her feet, plating a thousand kisses to her lips and proceeding to spend the rest of our lives together.

Our relationship was definitely bumpy at the beginning, but I think I'm finally coming to understand how this all really works – we both are.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm so blind when it comes to us." Weiss says, quietly, words low enough for only me to hear.

I can't help but smile and lean closer to her, my hand squeezing hers under the table as though it were a life raft.

"Do you mean like now?" I ask, my fingers sliding through hers. "All I can see is you."

The snow accumulates a good few inches throughout the evening and, as the sun starts to dip below the horizon, I watch as the school lights begin to turn on, one by one.

For the rest of the festival, I chat with the council, eventually moving to sit in front of the stage, along with most other festival goers.

There's laughs to be had all around and plenty of reminiscing and story telling from moments early on in the year. The more we talk and discourse about remembered events, the more I feel this pang in my chest, telling me that I'm really going to miss having these guys around after graduation.

I look around at the other members, all sitting in somewhat of a semi-circle facing the stage, so we're still able to talk to each other and hear the bands playing. There's been plenty of solo performances from certain students and many more group bands, either from the school or hired by the faculty.

At the moment, we're listening to a small alternative band play a song that I've never really heard before, but it sounds very cordial and mellow all the same. Weiss to my left and the other members all sit to my right, chattering amongst themselves and throwing some empty drink packets around. Of course, we're still surrounded by tons of other students and families sitting and listening to the music as well, however we still sit on the outskirts, giving us a way to easily escape the crowd if any of us are needed elsewhere.

Cardin walks by with a few of his friends, and I notice him give me an irked look as he passes. I don't say anything, however, instead shaking my head and ignoring their snickering.

I fiddle with the scarf around my neck and breath out a cold breath of air as I listen to the music. As entertaining as this festival has been, all good things must come to an end, and the thought makes a melancholy smile appear on my face.

Feeling a tug on my pants, I look over to a concerned Weiss.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" She asks, tilting her head.

I briefly place my hand over hers in assurance and give her a lopsided grin. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"About?"

I shrug, not really knowing how to answer her. I've just been having so much fun lately it's weird to think about it all coming to an end so soon.

"I dunno. I guess maybe what you said when you were over at my house the other day and during your speech – how you were gonna miss this." I lean back on my hands and crisscross my legs in front of me. "…I think I'm really gonna miss it too."

"We still have half a year before graduation, you know?" She inquires.

I chuckle and lean over to brush some of her bangs to the side, seeing as they were being pushed into her eyes by her beanie. "I know… Maybe I'll just have to follow you to Beacon then, yeah?"

Weiss just gives a small laugh and shakes her head as I run my hand across her cheek.

I hear a whistle and Weiss and I both turn to see Yang pointing at us with a shocked expression. "PDA! PDA! Someone get Goodwitch!"

"Yang!" I gripe with embarrassment.

Nora dramatically puts a hand on Ren's shoulder and gasps "Quick! Someone get the president-! Oh, wait-!"

My hand drops from Weiss's face as though I had touched a hot skillet and Weiss's cheeks burn red with embarrassment as she scoots away from me and attempts to stutter a retort of some kind.

"Would you guys quit teasing them?" Blake huffs, giving an irritated look towards Yang. "I want to hear the music."

"But it's just so easy. I mean, look at them- agh!?" Blake elbows Yang in the stomach and offers me a small smile.

I give her a shy grin in return, silently thanking her.

Out of nowhere - I hear a voice shout at me. "Hey, Red! Catch!"

Before I get the chance to turn around, something large and cold hits the back of my head and, purely out of reflex, I rear myself back.

"Ruby?" Weiss frets, covering her mouth out of surprise. "Are you okay!?"

I groan and hold my hand to the back of my head, feeling wet chunks of snow littered throughout my hair. Wiping off the remnants of snow, I give a thumbs up to Weiss and the rest of the concerned council.

"I'm good. That really came out of nowhere, huh?"

There are some snickers not too far away, making the council members all turn and squint our eyes in the direction of some of the empty stalls.

Cardin and a few of his buddies lean against an empty table on the outskirts of the festival. He's throwing a snowball up and down and is smirking at us with an intimidating expression.

Weiss stands up, shooting him one of her frightening glares that she always pulls when she's pissed.

"Cardin Winchester! How incredibly uncouth of you!"

"Oh, damn. Big words there, Pres… What're ya gonna do about it?" Cardin challenges, turning towards the rest of the council.

Weiss harrumphs, obviously irked at Cardin's smugness. She steps around the rest of the council and bends down momentarily, quickly balling up some snow in her palms. My eyes grow wide in surprise as she rears her arm back and throws the snowball back at Cardin.

For a moment I'm impressed, it's not often I see Weiss getting this pissed off. However, doing a little spin, Cardin easily sidesteps the ball of snow, tsking at Weiss.

"Nice one, Ice Queen. All that money, yet daddy never taught ya how to throw a snowball?"

I feel my face scrunch up in annoyance as one of Cardin's friends slap his knee. "Man, that was the weakest shit I've ever se-! umf-?"

His friend gets pegged in the chest with a snowball being hurled towards him at the speed of an angry council member hopped up on three cups of hot chocolate.

"Pres might not be the best at picking a fight," My sister says, stepping forward and crossing her arms. "but don't forget we're here too."

A wicked grin forms on Cardin's face and he looks down at the snowball in his hand.

"Oh, you're on."

"Snowball fight!" Cardin's friends shout, stumbling over each other to take cover.

They manage to duck and run behind an empty food stall as Cardin rears his hand back to throw the snow in his hand.

"Every man for themselves!" Nora yells, standing up and sprinting behind a nearby picnic table.

Ren rolls his eyes but jogs over after her.

"Help me flip this!" Nora says, a wild grin spreading on her face.

"Like you need my help." Ren counters, goodheartedly, helping her lift it up anyways.

Blake shakes her head and takes another sip of hot chocolate. "You've got to be kidding me."

Jaune and Pyrrha look at each other before nodding and sprinting off in different directions, avoiding a few throws from Cardin's friends hiding behind the stalls.

"Watch out, Blake!" Yang yells, jumping in front of where the quiet girl sits.

My sister gets hit in the back with Cardin's snowball, sending chunks of snow flying everywhere and earning a few gasps from some onlookers, probably amused by this whole situation.

"I've been hit! Go on without me! I know it might seem difficult, but you must fight for me!" Yang says in a gravely voice, clutching her chest as she lays in the snow.

"Oh, I think I can manage." Blake says, sipping out of her mug.

Yang raises an eyebrow at her, irritation evident. "…You're no fun, you know that?" She gripes.

My sister stands up and quickly dusts herself off, reaching down for Blakes hand. "C'mon, we can go hide behind that block of snow over there." She says, pointing to a nearby bank of snow.

Blake retorts in annoyance but takes her hand and follows her all the same, their boots making loud crunching noises in the snow as they proceed.

Weiss and I, now left alone, share a glance, asking each other what to do next.

Our moment of silence is broken, as multiple snowballs are being prepared to be pelted our way.

"Quick, Weiss! This way!" I giggle, grabbing her hand and running over to an empty cart that was most likely being used to serve hot chocolate earlier.

We have to duck from a few of the fluffy projectiles being thrown across the space between all of us, but it's not that difficult, seeing as there weren't many snowballs made yet.

"What do we do?" Weiss questions as soon as we're behind our cover.

"Make as many snowballs as you can - and fast!" I say, scooping up snow and making my first weapon.

Nora ducks out from the upturned picnic table and begins firing off snowballs being handed to her by Ren. "You'll never get us alive!" She yells, catching the attention of some nearby kids and a few other students, as though we weren't attracting enough attention already.

Some of the onlookers decide to join in, taking cover where they can and running through the firing zone that's between all of us. While Weiss and I quickly prepare some more snowballs, we listen to multiple angry family members telling their kids to come back to them, and many kids running by and laughing as they run in and out of the firing zone.

"I hope we won't hear anything from Mr. Ozpin about this…" Weiss grumbles, pushing some snow together.

"Incoming!" I hear one of Cardin's friends yell, noticing Pyrrha had come up behind their stalls, a handful of fluffy projectiles at her disposal.

Jaune dashes from the opposite direction he'd been hiding in, ramming into Cardin's side and knocking them both down in the snow with a muffled thump.

"The hell?" I can barely hear Cardin's voice over the band playing on stage. "Get off me, Dweeb."

"Now, Pyrrha!" He yells.

Weiss and I look over to where Pyrrha hides behind the stall, having just thoroughly pelted both of Cardin's friends, who retreat to a nearby snowbank. Pyrrha has one snowball left now and turns to throw it at where Cardin is attempting to get up in the snow.

Right when she lets the ball fly, a few nearby kids who had joined in throw a couple of snowy projectiles, hitting Pyrrha's throwing arm. She messes up her throw and the ball ends up nailing Jaune in the side of his head, making him fall back into the snow with a muffled groan.

"Ouch." I say, Weiss and I both grimacing.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha calls, waving at him in apology as the kids who had hit her run off to a different side of the chaos.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt." Nora comments, watching Jaune struggle to get up.

Cardin laughs and brushes some snow off his pants, standing up in an attempt to escape the multiple snowballs being fired out into the open area.

"We have an opening, Weiss! Now's our chance!" I exclaim.

I take the few snowballs in my grasp and hand one to Weiss, both of us ducking out from behind the cart and taking our shots at the fleeing bully. Mine zips by right in front of his head as he runs off and Weiss's falls short about ten feet or so.

As we watch him run off behind some stalls, I turn to Weiss and raise an eyebrow at her. "You're pretty bad at this, huh?"

"S-Shut up!" Weiss stammers at me, face reddening. "At least I was trying to help!"

I give her an amused look and reach over to poke her cheek with my finger.

"You're really cute when you blush… Have I ever told you that?"

Weiss looks surprised by my admission – and looks as though she about to make a retort of some kind – when a snowball explodes on the side of the cart we're standing behind.

I quickly grab Weiss's arm and drag her to duck behind the cart, both of us peeking out to see who the culprit was.

Nora is looking in our direction, giving us a smug look beside the overturned picnic table.

"What was that for!?" Weiss asks, aggravated by the surprise attack.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the one flirting on the battlefield here!"

Weiss puts a hand to her temple and gives Nora an incredulous look. "Aren't we on the same side!?"

"There are no sides in war!" Nora declares.

"Yes, there are!"

Nora puts a hand to her chin, momentarily in thought, then giving us a shrug. "The only side I'm on is mischief! Ahaha!"

Weiss rolls her eyes but we both proceed to throw a few more snowballs at Nora and Ren and over to where Blake and Yang hide behind their snow pile.

I actually hear Weiss giggle a few times, while ducking in and out of cover and chucking a few snowballs towards other people in the fight. The sound of her laugh is more like music to my ears than the band playing on stage.

Eventually the amount of people playing becomes much larger and Weiss and I are forced to find different cover if we don't want to be pelted from behind. I scan the area as best I can, spotting two tents with some carnival-like games in them not too far away.

"C'mon, Weiss. Over there!" I say, grabbing her hand and waiting for a good time to cross through the line of fire.

There's a moment where the snowballs die down a bit, people probably having to make some more, that gives us a good opening to change cover.

"Now!"

We both stand up and run towards the tents, having to go around some kids who were laughing and running through the grounds as well. Just as we're about to reach the tent, I hear Weiss gasp and, turning my head slightly, I see Cardin peek out from behind the other end of the tent, already rearing his arm back, no intent of letting this snowball fly gently.

"Don't worry, Weiss! I've got this!" I shout, sticking my leg out far in front of me to slow my running, making an unsuspecting Weiss be shielded behind me.

"Dunce, don't-!"

Cardin lets the ball fly and it ends up hitting me hard in the chest, snow crashing off my jacket and throwing me off balance.

"Agh! I've been shot!" I exclaim, dramatically clasping my chest and falling to my knees in the light snow between the tents.

Cardin snickers and disappears around the corner as I fall the rest of the way into the snow and onto my back, looking up to the sky and clutching my chest.

Weiss walks over to me and crouches down by my head, giving me a look somewhere between concern and amusement.

"You're an idiot." She deadpans.

I break character for a moment and look at her, exasperated. "You're supposed to ask if I'm okay!"

"Fine. Are you okay?" Weiss sighs.

I collapse back into the snow, clutching my jacket to my chest again and coughing a few times for good measure. "I think it's killed me! I can't go on!"

"I think it's brain damage…" Weiss mutters.

"Only a kiss can bring me back from the dead!" I let my head fall towards Weiss, peaking at her with one eye.

"Do you know how overused and stupid that line is?"

No response.

"I can't believe you sometimes, get up."

No response.

"I'm not doing that, Ruby, now get the hell up."

No response.

"Ruby…" Weiss sighs, defeated. She looks around and sees no one paying attention, only aided by us being carefully tucked away between the tents.

Quickly leaning down, she brushes my bangs to the side and gives a gentle kiss to my forehead. Even with the cold numbing all my senses, her kiss is soft as always and just the small peck to my temple is enough to warm up my entire body.

I feel myself grin and I squint one of my eyes open. "The forehead? Not even the mouth?"

Thump.

"Don't test me."

I lean myself up on and elbow and hold my hand to my freshly thumped forehead. "I'm just saying if you're going to at all, it might as well have been the- omf-!?"

Once again, something wet and cold is thrown at the back of my head and I immediately turn around, expecting the culprit to be a certain bully I'm all to familiar with. To my surprise, my dad and Uncle walk up behind us.

"This is quite the show you kids have put on." My Uncle says, walking up to Weiss and I sitting in the snow. "We were lookin' for ya, but then we heard there was a huge snowball fight happening on the other side of the festival and we figured you were probably somehow involved.

Weiss hastily stands up and greets my family members as they walk over, offering me a hand up. We both give each other a questioning look as she helps me off the ground, wondering if they saw what had just happened.

"Yeah, what gives?" My dad questions, looking a bit miffed. "You guys were planning on having a snowball fight in the middle of the festival and you didn't think to invite your old man!"

"It wasn't exactly planned." Weiss confides, brushing off her jacket.

"Yeah. This Jerkface Cardin Winchester started it." I say, blowing some hair out of my face.

"Well he might've started it-" My dad says, bending down and grabbing a handful of snow, using his hands to shape it into a ball. "-but I'm planning on finishing it... Get over here you little rascal!"

Weiss and I look at each other with amused expressions and take off running in the other direction.

"You gotta catch us first!"

The rest of the festival we spend with family and friends, chucking snowballs, enjoying the night air, singing along to different bands, and eventually, once all the performers and musicians had gone, listening to some popular music on the radio that was played through some old speakers.

At the end of the night we had to help shut down a lot of the festival and help make sure the crowd leaves in an orderly fashion. According to Weiss, we'll be spending most of our weekend, along with the rest of the council and staff, cleaning up the courtyard and helping Pyrrha count the profits we made.

Once some of the cleaning preparations were done, we all said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.

Weiss comes with me to get my bike off the rack, making it feel like any old day we were leaving school. When I reach my bike and bend down to put in the right lock combination that keeps it secure to the flimsy metal rack, I hear Weiss shuffling through her pocket behind me, pulling out her phone and tapping away at the screen.

"Hey, do you think we could walk back to my place?" She asks, looking up from the glowing screen.

"You don't want to ride my bike back?" I question, pulling the lock apart and unhooking it from the handlebars.

"It's a really nice night out and I wanted to walk is all." She clarifies.

I reach around to unzip my backpack and put the lock in it. "It's pretty late, but if you want to, sure."

"Thanks." Weiss smiles at me. "It's too nice of a night out to take it for granted."

I nod in agreement and pull my bike out from the rack, brushing some accumulated snow off the seat. "Who're you texting? Winter?" I ask her.

Weiss adjusts her beanie and begins typing something else on her phone. "Yeah. She's headed home early and is going to bed. She wanted to tell me goodnight, since she'll probably be asleep when we get back."

"I'm still staying over tonight, right?" I ask, throwing her a questioning glance as I wheel my bike out the front entrance of the school, Weiss walking in step beside me.

"If you'd like. We do have a lot to do this weekend. It would be quite convenient."

"Oh, I'd definitely like." I say, bumping her shoulder with mine.

"Hush, you." She scolds, proceeding to shake her head but letting out a small chuckle anyways. "Look, Winter's home, there can be absolutely no funny business tonight, understood?"

"Hmm…" I ponder, holding a hand to my chin and wheeling my bike with the other "Somehow I feel like I've heard that phrase before…"

"I mean it!" Weiss states firmly, pointing an incriminating finger at me. "Don't you start with that."

"Aww… Not even a little?" I say, turning away and making a pouting face.

"None!"

I glance over at Weiss and catch her looking somewhat embarrassed, a light blush on her cheek. When she catches me staring - I raise my eyebrows and wiggle them a few times – Weiss then proceeding to slap my arm multiple times as I try and dodge her the best I can without letting go of my bike.

Once her assault is over, I grin and take another glance at Weiss walking along beside me, her shoes making a nice clicking noise on the sidewalk in the quiet night air. The streetlamps cast a dim glow on the concrete beneath us, giving us just enough light that I'm able to walk my bike without tripping over the pedals every moment.

I look up at the sky, and through the snow-covered tree branches I spot a familiar bright speck. "Ah, look! The North Star!" I exclaim, pointing at the speck is the sky.

Weiss leans over and follows my line of sight, eventually spotting it and making an impressed sound. "It's so bright compared to the others…Didn't you say it was two stars that orbit each other though?"

I look over to Weiss, surprised. "You remember that?"

She gives me a confused glance in return. "Yes? Is that odd?"

"Wha- No! It's just - anytime I tell Yang or my dad something nerdy like that… they always just seem to forget it." I admit, scratching the back of my head.

"Well, of course I'm always listening to you, Ruby, but something like that… said on such an important night to me - it's hard to forget."

I find myself grinning, bumping Weiss's shoulder with mine once more. "Special night, huh?"

Weiss looks up at the sky again, letting her breath fog up the air in front of her as we near her neighborhood. "Yes, very special."

A few minutes later, we make it to Weiss's house. She enters the code into the gate, like she always does, and once we're inside and pass the big fountain in the center of her yard, I lean my bike against the outside of her front porch.

Following her inside, I notice there are a few lights left on in the hallway, most likely because Winter knew Weiss was getting home late. We take off our shoes and quietly pad our way up to Weiss's room, every noise made seeming to echo off the house's large corridor walls.

As Weiss opens the door to her room, I make a low whistle as I'm ushered inside.

"It feels like I haven't been in your room in forever." I say, running my hand along the edge of her vanity. "Still as neat and plain as I remember it."

Weiss walks over to her closet and slides the door open, taking off her beanie and placing it on a hook. "...I'm just going to take that as a compliment." She says.

I look over her blue walls and princess like bed, remembering feeling the soft fabric and running my hands along the bedframe from the last time I was in here, all the way back towards the beginning of the year, when Weiss was sick. This was the place I realized I had feelings for Weiss.

The though brings a small smile to my face as I scan over the rest of the room, my eyes falling on a picture sitting at the end of Weiss's vanity. It was the picture that had been hanging up in the living room – of Weiss and Winter when they were younger.

Walking over and bending down to get a better look at the photo, I trace part of the border with my finger and grin at the younger Weiss – still just as gorgeous as she is today. "This is a really nice picture." I comment, quietly.

Weiss looks at it questioningly, then gives me a tight smile. "Yes, it is." She says, quickly looking back out her bedroom door. "Say, Ruby… would you like to go for a walk in the garden?"

"Didn't we just get inside? And isn't it too cold for you?"

Weiss thinks for a moment - and then reaches out her arm to me - opening her palm. "I have you to keep me warm."

I smile and walk over to take her hand without question. "Pfft, that's so cheesy."

"Are you declining?"

"Wha-? No way! let's go!" I quickly say, following her out of her bedroom.

We head back down the stairs and grab our shoes from the entryway, whispering and giggling as we attempt to quietly pad our way through the maze-like hallways and to her backdoor, trying not to wake Winter up.

While I sit on the top step of the concrete porch, Weiss flicks on a few of the switches that turn on the lamps lining the intricate pathways around the yard, lined with flowerbeds that are about three or so feet off the ground. In the central most point of the yard is a koi pond with its own lights, reflecting off some of the fishes swimming about.

"Pretty neat, right?" Weiss says, walking up behind me.

"Neat?" I say gaping at all the flowers and lights, everything covered in a light dusting of snow. "This is super-duper-mega awesome! How come you've never shown me this before?"

Weiss shrugs and walks down a few steps. "It's not like I come out here that often. It's only in such nice condition because of our gardeners."

I walk down the rest of the stairs and make my way to one of the flowerbeds, stepping up onto the somewhat tall structure and holding my arms out to get my balance.

"You better not fall." I hear Weiss say as she comes up beside me.

"Pshh, I'm a pro at this." I say, walking down the row of flowers and hopping over to the next flowerbed about four feet apart. "See?"

Weiss rolls her eyes and walks beside me on the ground. "Still, if you fall and crack your head open it wouldn't be very good PR for the Schnee name."

Raising my eyebrows and turning to look at her, I reach one of my hands down to offer it to her. "Well, then, you'll just have to help me keep my balance then, won't you?"

"I suppose I will." She says, taking my hand and following me along the flowerbed.

We follow along some of the pathways lining the pond, Weiss telling me what some of the different flowers are and helping me keep my balance on the ledges I continue walking across.

Eventually, we've rounded the garden multiple times and I reach the end of the flowerbed near the central pond. As I hop down, Weiss gives me a smile, hand still clasping mine, but something about the look she's giving me seems off.

"Is something bothering you?" I ask.

Weiss fiddles with her snowflake bracelet around her sleeve, biting her lip and looking up at me with earnest eyes.

"The thing you said earlier - about the photo… I hated getting my picture taken back then." She says, shifting her hand and running a finger down her scar. "I think I was just afraid of seeing my true self, you know? Seeing what I hated so much in the mirror."

Without even thinking, I reach over to cup Weiss's face, as though my body is moving on my own. It's a natural movement, my hands being familiar with the affirming motion. After brushing my thumb across her cheek, I wrap my hands lower and pull her into a tight hug.

"I wish I knew you back then... like, the real you."

Leaning back, I look at Weiss and brush some hair behind her ear, running my fingers slowly to the ends.

"Why's that?" She asks, breathily.

I let my hand slip through the rest of her hair. "Because then I could have told her that you became a really, really good person..." I murmur, leaning my forehead gently against Weiss's, watching her eyes close and feeling her warmth as though it's the only thing keeping me alive.

"And that you'll meet a person who really, really loves you."

After a moment of hesitation, I watch Weiss's eyes open, widening in realization, her face softening as the prettiest smile spreads across her rosy cheeks.

I gaze at her, my features mirroring the happiness she expresses through her glistening eyes.

"You're such a Dolt." She says, shaking her forehead against mine, her giddy laughter being mixed with the sound of someone who's holding back tears in the cold night air.

"And I absolutely love you back."

-Fin-

A/N

I can't begin to explain how surreal it was to write this chapter.

Thanks to all of those who gave feedback and read through this whole thing :) I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I feel like I've improved so much over these past few years and I never in a million years would have thought I would get so much love from this story. You guys are the best (─‿─)

I leave off by asking you guys to give me your full reviews on what you thought. What was your favorite moment? Chapter? What'd you think of the pacing? What do you think are some of the story's strengths/weaknesses? Anything you want to comment on or give criticism to, feel free, and of course my pm's are always open.

That's all I have to say really. Writing this story was so much fun and it'll always hold a special little place in my heart.

Hope You Enjoyed.

I know I did :)