Music Choice: Desperate Youth by Seagraves, and First Time (feat. Dylan Matthew) by Seven Lions – Acoustic

Holiday

Chapter 8

The rest of their break passed far too quickly. Typically, Weiss was always eager to get back to her studies after a holiday. Her tutors understandably preferred to enjoy the festivities with their own families, and were legally protected in doing doing so. It was, frankly, brutal.

However, two weeks of showboating at at Schnee manor and two weeks on Patch did not progress at the same rate; before, Weiss would have been pestering Clyne to get her instructors to come back early and rescue her from her fate. Now, Weiss did not want to believe that today was the last day before they had to catch the ferry back.

There was a lot waiting for them back at Beacon, too. Weiss had noticed that Blake had become ever more Blake-ish as the holiday neared its end, staring off out of windows or falling into brooding silences as she lost herself to thought. They still didn't know what the White Fang was planning in Vale, after-all; and while Blake had not mentioned her previous associates the entire time they'd been there, it was apparent that she was still thinking about them.

That morning, Weiss woke early as ever, determined to make the best of her last day. Yet as she made her way quietly downstairs, she realized that she was not the first or even second person to get up. Ruby and Blake were sitting outside on the porch, looking at a book in Ruby's hands. Weiss considered letting them have their privacy, yet some invisible force tugged within her, and she found herself pushing the screen door open.

It was still dark, the grey morning light barely illuminating Ruby and Blake as they sat besides each other. They both looked back at the same time, however, Blake's eyes flashing luminously. Ruby's own silver caught the light as well. Weiss hesitated again, suddenly nervous. An outsider once more; an apology was on her lips before she could stop it.

"I'm…I'm sorry. Do you two want anything?" she tried to recover.

Ruby smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease.

"It's ok! I was just showing Blake some photos," Ruby scooted over to make room on the stoop. Blake smiled as well, but Weiss still felt something was off.

"Do you want to join us?" Blake tilted her head, watching her.

It wasn't an aggressive question. However Weiss could interpret Blake's body language well enough to know that there was a warning there. This was a vulnerable moment, somehow, and a lack of empathy would not be tolerated.

Weiss looked at Ruby, who was still giving that wonderfully warm smile that made her chest flutter. Weiss smiled back, moving carefully to sit besides her partner.

"Certainly."

Ruby wiggled, opening the leather book again with sudden reverence. It was a photo book, apparently.

"Cool! So, this is really special ok?"

"Ok," Weiss nodded.

"But um…Uncle Qrow gave it to me and Yang the other day at Ni-ni's," Ruby continued, silver eyes tracing over the photos. Her face still seemed so happy, but there was a delicate tremor in her voice. "Because it was my mom's. And he kept it, because well, it made dad sad to have it around I think. But now that we live at Beacon, he thought we should have it."

Weiss looked at the photos, her eyes widening slightly. She was aware that Blake was watching her. The photographs were of a variety of people and places, but they often possessed a group of people that she could readily identify. One of those people was nearly a carbon copy of Ruby herself; if Ruby had white, fluffy wolf ears.

Oh.

Summer Rose, Ruby's biological mother, was a faunus apparently; meaning that Ruby herself was, as Weiss's father so indelicately put it, a 'half-breed'. Weiss processed this rapidly while studying the photos of Ruby and Yang's family.

There was a buzz in the back of her mind, as a variety of feelings and thoughts fought ferociously for dominance; most of those thoughts Weiss was coming to realize had never really been her own, but alien strings of hate and belief that had wormed their way into her mind at her father's insistence. This knowledge, that these feelings were intruders and not her own creations, helped her own logic, emotions and values to win out in the end.

Jacques Schnee hated so called hybrids even more than he hated the faunus themselves; he believed they were a perversion of the natural order, disgusting, the embodiment of everything that was trying to destroy his generation's idea of a perfect Atlassian society. Faunus he could at least understand, but a union between a human and a faunus was beyond his comprehension. He considered it little better than bestiality or some similar perversion. He was hardly the only person who thought that way, either.

Hybrid's didn't even have protected rights against discrimination in most Kingdoms, as they weren't considered a legitimate minority. They were quite rare, though whether that was due to genetic issues between the species or due to social stigma, Weiss couldn't say. These were things she had always been vaguely aware of; but now, it was all so much more real.

Weiss exhaled softly and met her partner's eyes. There was a lot there, a sudden vulnerability that was typically hidden away by sweet, awkward humor and stubborn optimism. Weiss hesitated, before moving closer and smiling at the photos.

Screw Jacques 'Schnee'.

"Tell me more about her."

Ruby beamed, inching closer to Weiss as she started to describe her mother and the photographs. Blake leaned in as well, the nearly invisible wall that she had been projecting evaporating now that Weiss had passed the test. Ruby would turn the pages, as if handling a sacred item, and exclaim over some new discovery.

Weiss realized that most of these pictures were things that Ruby had never seen herself, and that she was sharing this moment of discovery deliberately with her; despite knowing the risk of doing so. In fact, Ruby hadn't even hesitated. It very nearly made her eyes water.

They sat there looking through Summer's photographs as the sun rose, occasionally reading the notes on the back. Weiss noticed that Ruby's fingers had begun to tremble, and that the smile on her face was growing more fragile. A tear ran down her face.

Emotions, particularly grief and vulnerability, had always been met with disdain in the Schnee household. At best, it was embarrassing. At worst, well, it preceded pain.

Weiss had never seen Ruby cry before, and was coming to suspect that perhaps her partner hid her own suffering for different yet similar reasons. She was always smiling, always trying to cheer up the people around her; but Weiss had deduced that Ruby had a well of grief that went deeper than perhaps anyone else she knew.

Weiss pulled Ruby into a hug, feeling distinctly self-conscious; she knew she wasn't a comforting person, even on her best days. Her mouth often ran away with her, full of barbs and cold observations; and her haughty attitude pushed away even the most stubborn admirers. Yet despite her chilly awkwardness, and generally being a failure at cultivating any sort of intimacy, Weiss could only be grateful; because Ruby hugged her back, pressing her face into her shoulder as she cried a little louder.

She met Blake's gaze over Ruby's dark head; Weiss wasn't sure what she saw there. Yet whatever it was passed as Blake suddenly hugged them both with surprising ferocity.

The friends held their leader as she sniffled. Ruby didn't cry long, or even all that loudly. She just sounded like some small, injured thing; it broke Weiss's heart to hear it. After a few minutes though, Ruby pulled back, smiling plasticly through the tears.

"I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't apologize for feeling things, you dolt," Weiss insisted, very hypocritically.

Blake nodded, swallowing; her eyes were misty, too.

"But today is our last day, and I shouldn't be all mopey-" Ruby started.

"Shush," Blake hugged them tighter, ears flattening.

"But-"

"Nope."

"I-"

"Stop it."

Ruby pouted through her tears.

"You're allowed to be sad," Blake persisted. "It's ok to feel sad."

"But it sucks," Ruby muttered.

"Yes. But it sucks more to not feel sad when you really need to," Blake continued. "Trust me."

Ruby nodded, wiping at her eyes. They fell into silence for a several moments, Ruby clutching the photo book, Weiss and Blake trying to comfort her with their presence. Finally, Ruby smiled at them; a natural smile, not a forced one.

"Thanks, guys. I just…I really miss her, ya know?"

Weiss and Blake nodded. Ruby wiped at her face with her sleeve again, secured the album in her hoodie pocket, before standing and offering her hands to pull them both to their feet.

"Let's get waffles," Ruby nodded, still stuffy. "Waffles make everything better."

Weiss, having been given an action that could help her partner feel better, pounced on the idea immediately.

"Excellent. I'll make them," Weiss declared.

"Aaand I'll help with the whip cream," Blake smirked.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Blake suspiciously.

"…don't eat it all," Weiss warned.

"What?" Blake scoffed in a very good imitation of her. "I would never! Just because I'm a cat faunus doesn't mean that I like milk products-"

"Oh that is just the biggest load of crap I've ever heard," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Between you and Yang, you could clear out an entire grocery full of whip cream."

Blake hesitated, eyes flicking off to the side, before meeting Weiss's stare innocently. Weiss raised an eyebrow, certain as to where exactly Blake's mind had gone. Blake smiled, all pretense of innocence evaporating. Ruby giggled at them from the living room.

Weiss rolled her eyes, setting about finding a bowl for the waffle mix. Blake read too many 'romance novels'. Not that Weiss ever snuck a peek at one when her roommates were not around; or several.

Blake at least did not eat all the whip cream; it seemed that Taiyang was wise enough to keep several containers in the freezer, hidden behind the vegetables. The faunus brought one of the tubs to Ruby to snack on, before returning to assist Weiss. They found a tub of strawberries, Blake cutting them expertly as Weiss heated the waffle iron.

Perhaps it was the scent of food, or some other mysterious force, but Yang managed to wake up before mid-morning for once. The brawler made her way downstairs, barefoot, wearing pajamas as she yawned loudly to announce her presence.

She spotted Weiss and Blake in the kitchen, before spotting Ruby on the sofa, covered in a blanket as she ate frozen whip cream. Sister instincts apparently kicked in, because the blonde flopped onto the sofa with Ruby, playfully squishing her.

"Oof! Man this pillow sure is uncomfortable," Yang declared.

"Geroff me you big, lumpy potato!" Ruby protested, protecting her snack.

"Huh? I must be on one of Zwei's chew toys! I hear something squeaky!"

"Iwillfightyou-why is your butt so heavy!?!"

"Hahaha!"

"Yang, stop crushing Ruby with your derriere," Weiss scolded, stacking waffles with a variety of sugary options and strawberries. A bite of this and Weiss would be jittery all day; but this is what Ruby liked. It wasn't like she wouldn't work it off anyways.

"But ice queen, I don't have any mineral water."

Before Weiss could get into her stride, Blake went to Ruby's rescue, distracting Yang instantly by offering her a tub of whip cream and her presence. Yang was much more interested in Blake than the confection, but tore into it with abandon anyways.

After making more than enough waffles for the household, Weiss brought some of the food in; Ruby scooted over to make room for her, and Weiss squeezed in between Ruby and Blake. Yang merrily turned on the television as she and Blake shared waffles and whip cream, practically cuddling on the cramped sofa.

Ruby gave Weiss a soft smile, one which Weiss returned, gallantly attempting to ignore her traitorous pulse. Her partner turned back to the television, leaning against Weiss as she held her plate. Weiss felt her neck heat up; she tried to blame the room temperature.

As she looked up, she spotted the black and gold portion of her team giving her very mischievous looks. She glared at them, as was proper. It had no effect. She rolled her eyes and went back to watching television with Ruby.

"Heeey Weiss?"

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Yang.

"Yes?"

"…You got a fever or something? You're really red," Yang smiled innocently. Yang can not smile innocently.

Weiss stared coldly at the blonde.

"It's warm. I'm pale. Do I need to draw a graph for you?"

Blake raised her eyebrows, biting back a chuckle.

"Ooh a graph? Do you need crayons?" Yang offered.

"Certainly, so long as you haven't chewed on all of them. I know you like the flavor."

Blake moved her hand, pinching Yang before she could say something else; Yang settled for shrugging, giving her a shit eating grin that knew far too much. Ruby had been watching them all, a confused look on her face.

"Weiss, do I need to move?" Ruby asked a moment. "Would you like a water or something?"

"No thank you, I'm fine," Weiss insisted valiantly.

She was not fine. She was, in fact, slowly imploding. In fact, Weiss was coming to a very unfortunate realization, all thanks to the grinning, unrepentant brute with whom she was sharing a sofa.

Oh.

Weiss was excellent at spotting the currents of attraction in other people, but apparently not herself; because it had never actually been an issue before. Not until this very moment.

Oh no.

Author's Notes: And that's all for this one, folks. Thanks for reading and commenting.