Author's Note:
Hello everyone, thanks for reading! I'd just like to take a moment to tell you all what's in store for this story going forward. If you want to just skip this, go ahead and scroll down to the non-bold text as I'm just going to be doing a little rant about writing this.
Due to the subject matter I have planned to address in future chapters, I find writing this on the best of days to be somewhat difficult. As a result, I had stopped posting regular updates, but I didn't stop writing. So far I have at least two more chapters already finished, so I'll be trying to post semi-monthly as my focus is currently completing my first ever FF series, and another story that I believe is coming to its completion shortly. I don't mean to say that this story isn't in my focus, just that I tend to procrastinate and that often comes in the form of writing or reviewing the chapters for those other stories rather than this one. I do intend to bring this story to completion some time in the not-so-near future, so I ask those who were worrying about a lack of updates to rest easy knowing that I haven't yet, nor will I abandon this project as it is one of the largest challenges I've ever given myself to write and to do so would be a failure. As always, I strive to give the best quality I alone am capable of creating to my stories, and unfortunately that occasionally translates into delays due to my inner QA giving my chapter a fail even after edits are finished. So for those of you who've read through this brick of an A/N, I ask that you give any praise or constructive criticism that comes to mind when you read this or any of my chapters, as I am forever looking to better myself and I can only do that with external input. So one last time before you begin this chapter, thank you for reading.
Despite what she may or may not have been expecting, Weiss's relationship with Ruby hadn't actually changed since they had secretly started dating. Sure there had been much more time spent on 'dates' which were more or less trips to Vale. The two would do things like shopping, eating, and talking but that was already their normal routine as friends, since they often replenished their living supplies while they were out. Other than that, the usual study time had remained exactly the same with Weiss and Ruby bouncing practice quiz questions back and forth to review class material or working on the most recent project. And this left Weiss somewhat confused.
She thought back to their first date where Ruby had cornered her in the elevator. She had been lenient with Ruby in the aftermath of that specific event considering how embarrassed she was. But even though, she felt that Ruby had taken a step back which gave her an inexplicable sense of abandonment. Not that she was new to that specific feeling, just… to have it come from Ruby was something she wasn't ever expecting and it surprised her how much it hurt.
The quiet screech of a chair being moved snapped her out of her thoughts as the student in front of her stood, gathering their test papers to hand in. Her gaze snapped up to the clock hanging above the professor's desk and saw she still had about twenty minutes left of the two hours allotted for the test. Her eyes fell from the clock to the page in front of her. The absent markings of her pen were running across her page as her hand had kept working even when her mind had disconnected. She quickly scrapped the page and looked at the previous one to find where she'd left off only half way through the second question.
Twenty five minutes later, after some of the fastest writing she'd ever done in her life to answer the remaining six questions, Weiss collapsed onto her bunk with her arm over her eyes to shield herself from the questions she knew were bound to come from her teammates once they also returned. She let out a deep sigh in the peaceful atmosphere… and then the door opened.
"Weiss! Are you okay?" Ruby asked with concern as Weiss felt her sit down beside her on the bed.
"Yeah, you never use all the time on a test!" Yang exclaimed as she dumped a random assortment of her notes on her ever-present pile.
"You did seem distracted." Blake piped up before ducking behind the book she'd retrieved from the shelf.
"I'm fine." Weiss replied shortly. "Just having a bad day is all."
"Anything we can do?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing." Weiss got up and went to get her clothes to change.
"Are you s-"
"I said I'm fine, Ruby!" Weiss snapped as she walked into the washroom. She ignored the hurt look on the younger girl's face as she disappeared behind the closing door.
Five minutes later as she took a deep breath to calm herself, she exited the washroom and quickly made her way out of the dorm even as Ruby made to follow her. Weiss ignored her tag-along as she walked up to the office of Peter Port and knocked twice.
"Are you sure everything is okay?" Ruby asked hesitantly but Weiss continued to ignore her.
Footsteps on the other side of the door announced the departure of another guest and Weiss stepped back as the door opened to reveal the headmaster of the academy sipping a steaming cup of caffeine.
"Hello Ruby, Weiss." He greeted as he stepped out into the hall. "I hope all is well."
"Hello." Weiss replied politely. "I wish to speak with Professor Port if he is in."
"Then don't let me keep you." Ozpin gestured toward the door and stepped back across the hall beside Ruby. Weiss entered and closed the door as Port's voice boomed out a greeting.
"Hi Professor." Ruby greeted, looking up at her headmaster. "I actually was going to send you a message, but do you have a minute or two?"
"I believe I can spare some time. What can I help you with, Ruby?" Ozpin asked.
"I… I was going to ask if maybe we could get our next mission moved…." Ruby asked hesitantly as she waited apprehensively.
"Hmmm…" Ozpin thought as he looked down at Ruby through his small glasses. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Ms. Schnee's connections in Atlas, would it?"
"Uh… maybe?" Ruby replied as if in question. "I mean, there's a few things that I can't really explain-"
"As a hunter, you often must put priority on your feelings." Ozpin responded with a nod. "How do you feel about the mission to Atlas?"
"Honestly, I don't have a bad feeling about the mission." Ruby admitted. "It's the city that I'm feeling a little uneasy about."
"I see…" Ozpin nodded as he took a long sip from his mug. "I'm sure you understand the risks involved with the change you requested since the only other available mission in your group is to Mistral."
"Yes sir. The swamps in the area can be problematic but I believe it would prove to be valuable experience for us." Ruby replied quickly. "We've already been training for the swamps for the large clearing mission coming up before graduation and I believe a shorter trial would prove whether or not we've been addressing the proper concerns."
Ozpin smiled and nodded as the door opened, a frowning heiress taking her leave with a final thanks to the professor. She stopped beside Ruby politely waiting to take her leave.
"I think your class has become excellent examples of our profession." Ozpin stated as he looked over the two, his eyes stopping on Ruby as he took another sip from his mug. "I will consider your proposal Ms. Rose, and I will send you a response before the end of today."
"Thank you sir!" Ruby smiled. "See you later!"
"Good day." Weiss nodded as she followed Ruby back down the hall.
Ozpin took another sip of his coffee and walked back into Port's office. "I believe I've made my decision."
"So soon? I thought the idea was to wait until after the school tournament." Peter Port replied in surprise.
"There's no need. We've conditioned them for the past three years. We know their capabilities, and we have more than satisfactory records of their accomplishments up till now." Ozpin stated.
"The thing you manage to forget is these girls are still children!" Glynda Goodwitch replied as she stepped through the door behind Ozpin. "They are not killers!"
"As I remember, we weren't either." Ozpin replied calmly. "But there is a point when they must realize that hunters don't simply hunt grimm, but also the monsters who would try to break the fragile society we maintain."
"But is that point now? When there are still months left until graduation?" Goodwitch argued.
"If I may, I believe this matter would be better undertaken when the students are still ours to instruct." Port interjected. "I believe you both remember the difficulties this issue brings to light, and I believe it would be beneficial to their psyche to have us to help them through the initial phases."
Goodwitch nodded and looked to Ozpin as he slowly swirled the coffee in his mug while he thought. At length he released a weary sigh.
"This world is not what it was last year." He stated calmly. "I fear our age of peace is coming to an end, and therefore, so too must our age of ignorance. Shielding our warriors from the reality of war will do little to help them when the time comes to take up arms against their equals.
"Is this your final decision, Sir?" Goodwitch asked, a frown stretching across her face to show her opposition to his choice.
"Yes. It's better to be prepared." Ozpin replied.
"Rather than to send them in unprepared and untrained." Port finished with a nod. "But I fear for the young Schnee. Her family hangs on the edge of many sides of this obscure conflict."
Ozpin looked to Goodwitch who nodded in understanding before he found the words with which he wished to respond. "I believe the future of our world may just depend on that girl's family. All that remains is finding out what that might entail."
"Come on Weiss!" Ruby pestered her girlfriend. "I just want to know what's wrong. I want to help!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that nothing is wrong!" Weiss almost yelled back, drawing stares of the people walking down the hall as she continued her quick pace.
"Well something is wrong!" Ruby replied ardently. "I can help! I know I can!"
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I was beyond help?" Weiss screamed as she spun to look Ruby in the face. The terrified look adorning Ruby's face did the one thing Weiss knew nothing else could. It stopped her rant and immediately made her feel sorry.
She reached out slowly and Ruby flinched away for a second before Weiss gently placed her hand on Ruby's cheek. She felt a sharp pain in her chest when she saw Ruby flinch and felt angry with herself that she'd made it happen. Her voice disappeared and all she could muster was a regretful whisper as she looked down from Ruby's glistening silver eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Weiss, I need you to-" Ruby's voice was cut off as Weiss's lips met her own. Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth opened automatically to the heiress's prodding tongue as Weiss deepened the kiss. In her peripherals Ruby could make out more than a dozen students taking notice of them as they made their way to or from the cafeteria that was only a short distance away.
"I can't believe I did that…" Weiss mumbled as she took a step back from a still shocked Ruby and looked around at the many students that were watching her in surprise, causing her temper to flare. "Why don't you all take a fucking picture?"
"Weiss!" Ruby yelped as Weiss grabbed her wrist and dragged her off away from the crowd and into the next building, turning this way and that down the halls until they were quite alone. Then as if all the energy had been drained from her body, Weiss released Ruby and slumped down against a nearby wall and hung her head while she took deep, shaking breaths.
Ruby looked up and down the hall to make sure they were really alone, but it seemed there was nobody here as the lights were mostly off and the classrooms on either side were locked for the day. She carefully sat beside Weiss who's breathing fell silent as if she were suppressing whatever had her gasping a moment ago. After another moment, Ruby picked up on the barest of whispers leaving Weiss's lips and leaned forward to hear. What she could make out was simply Weiss swearing repeatedly as whatever she was thinking tore her apart.
"Weiss?" Ruby hesitantly reached out to her and placed her hand on her back. When she wasn't shaken off, she slowly started rubbing small circles how she remembered Yang used to do when she was upset. After a couple moments, Weiss took a deep breath and sat up properly, forcing Ruby to remove her hand. Ruby noticed the stressed look to her eyes and the defeated slack to her jaw that left her looking as if something vital had gone wrong, and she supposed considering the events of the day, that was a good possibility. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Weiss looked over as if noticing Ruby for the first time and shook her head, a slight semblance of herself returning to replace the defeated look with a look of disappointment mixed with anger.
"No, I don't." She replied shortly as she looked away from Ruby and up at the stone ceiling above them. "But I will."
"O-kay…" Ruby didn't know what to make of the response, but determined it would be okay to ask a few questions. "Well… did you mess up on the test?"
"Messed up…" Weiss mused more to herself than Ruby. "Yes, I suppose that is one way to sum it up."
"What do you mean?" Ruby's confused voice brought a wry smile to Weiss's lips.
"I wasn't paying attention and ended up wasting most of my time." She explained. "And I have nobody to blame for my grade but myself."
"But we just took the test." Ruby responded. "There's no way you could have your mark already."
"That's why I wanted to see Port. He graded it and that's it." Weiss sighed in frustration. "It's all over… over something so stupid…"
"Hey, I'm sure it's not that bad-" Ruby started but trailed off on the look Weiss gave her.
"Eighty-nine." She said quietly. "I rushed to answer everything and got an eighty-nine. It's as if I can already hear my father yelling at me… and worse."
"Weiss, I'm sure-"
"No Ruby. You heard him at the CCT. I expect your next round of examinations to be flawless, blah, blah, blah." Weiss laughed grimly at her own impression. "There's no way he'd let me stay even if he has to come get me himself."
"Weiss-"
"I'm sorry Ruby. It seems we don't have till graduation." Weiss sighed and hung her head again. "It would probably be better if you just left-"
A sharp snap rang out and an equally sharp sting erupted across her face bringing tears to the corner of her eyes as her hand felt the tender sting where Ruby had hit her. She looked up and over at Ruby who was watching her in sadness as the flare of anger slowly disappeared from her features. Weiss felt a wave of hotness rise up her throat and before she could do anything tears burst forth and a sob erupted from her lips as her vision blurred and she collapsed sideways into the girl with the white tipped hair.
Ruby held her tightly and rubbed her back comfortingly as Weiss let her emotions flow while she imagined everything she'd been working toward fall apart.
Seconds or hours passed and Weiss finally pulled her emotions back under control. She noticed she'd nearly soaked Ruby's shoulder where her tears had fallen and felt a fresh wave of regret hit her. She tightened her arms around the younger girl until the feeling passed and she felt her exhaustion hit her full force.
"Shh…" Ruby whispered into her ear as she continued to rub her back. Weiss felt her eyes droop closed and the world ceased to exist.
A beeping noise brought Weiss back to reality as she woke from her sleep in the middle of a hallway. Her back felt stiff and she could barely feel her legs as they'd fallen asleep. But at least she wasn't cold due mainly to her sleeping girlfriend who she was leaning against.
She heard the beeping again and slowly reached into Ruby's pocket to extract her scroll. She pressed the button to silence the notification and replaced it before she gently disconnected herself from her companion. The movement must have been noticed as Ruby shifted as she too started to wake up.
"Where are we?" She mumbled, as Weiss moved out of her embrace. She looked up and down the hall before her eyes settled on Weiss. "Oh, right."
"Right." Weiss echoed as she readjusted herself to sit more comfortably.
The silence stretched between them as both girls recalled the events of the day and what had taken place shortly before their unplanned nap. Weiss knew there were things they'd have to discuss but didn't know where to start. After all, nothing was absolutely certain but she couldn't help thinking realistically. Her father wouldn't take kindly to her grade and regardless of her choice going forward it would most likely be filled with one type of hardship or another.
"We need to talk." To her surprise, it was Ruby who broke the silence.
"Yes." Weiss struggled to remember what she'd been meaning to say. "About before…"
"About the test?" Ruby asked. When Weiss didn't continue, she did. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
"No. I mean yes…. Maybe." Weiss sighed. "I mean yes, I'd like to talk about it. No, it almost certainly won't be fine. And if we're lucky I won't have to go home."
Ruby nodded and took Weiss's hand. She squeezed it gently and brought it to her lips once. Weiss felt her face flood with heat as she simply watched Ruby keep her eyes steadily locked on her own. Then she clasped her other hand on top of where she'd laid her lips and applied a soft pressure that told Weiss that somehow everything just might work out.
"Let's start at the beginning, okay?" Ruby suggested, noticing how lost Weiss looked as she attempted to sort her thoughts. "What happened with the test?"
Weiss hesitated but knew now was the best possible moment to voice the concerns she'd been having about their relationship. She knew it would be a while before a better opportunity presented itself and the way Ruby had stayed with her all evening so far proved just how much she cared. It was still something Weiss had yet to get used to.
"I was distracted." Weiss started explaining. "I was thinking about us and how nothing has changed since we've started dating."
"I thought you wanted me to stop bothering you though…" Ruby mumbled but Weiss picked up on it.
"Ruby… if you're still thinking about that time in the elevator, you need to know I've moved on. I was angry, yes. But I let it go." Weiss replied as she could only guess that was what had given Ruby such an idea.
"Oh… so it's okay then?" Ruby asked cautiously.
Weiss sighed in exasperation and quickly leaned in to place a peck on her partner's forehead. "I never want you to feel like you have to change for me. I just want you to be you. The same person I've known since she set me on fire before I even managed to get in the front doors of Beacon."
Ruby let out a giggle at Weiss's words as she remembered the brilliant fireball that had engulfed them. "Okay. I can do that."
"Good." Weiss nodded, feeling already more at ease now that the air had been cleared. "Because even though I did say I'd date you, I didn't say you could waste our time together like we have since…. When exactly did you realize you… liked me this way?"
Ruby blushed and hid her face behind her wave of white tips. "It's sort of hard to tell, but it was around the time that you told me you'd be my best teammate."
Weiss thought back, remembering only two occasions she'd said something similar to Ruby. "Which time? The one at the beginning of this year after we came back from the Outlands?"
"Nope." Ruby mumbled, seemingly in embarrassment. "After we finished fighting about who deserved to be the leader."
Weiss felt her mouth fall agape at Ruby's confession. Her stomach did a few flips as a new sensation started to flow through her. "For almost three whole years… you've…"
"Yes, Weiss." Ruby nodded and looked up. Her face matched her namesake but she seemed happy as her silver orbs found ice blue. "That's why I was so surprised at the bar. I never thought you'd ever think of me like that. I thought our relationship would just stay as best friends."
"Ruby…" Weiss felt a mixture of sadness and pain wash through her at the revelation. She wanted so badly to find some way to turn back time, but she knew that was impossible. "You are my best friend, and quite possibly my first friend. I still can't believe how happy you've made me just by being my partner."
"Weiss, stop it." Ruby mumbled as her face took on a more powerful blush that she tried desperately to hide but Weiss wasn't about to let Ruby away when she looked so cute with her blush going strong. Ruby's face was kept still with a gentle hand on her cheek so she was forced to keep looking Weiss in the eyes.
"Ruby. You are the first person I ever met that hadn't been a friend pre-authorized by my father or after my family's fortune in one way or another. You were also the first to explode on me within a minute of said meeting." Weiss paused as Ruby groaned in embarrassment. Weiss smiled as the blush on Ruby's face deepened just at the mention of their meeting. She moved her face slightly closer to the girl each time she added another statement to her list. "You were the first person to actually try to become my friend, and you succeeded. You were the first person who tried to impress me, and you succeeded. And sadly, you were not the first person to attempt to kiss me. But you were the first I wanted to kiss. And consequently, also the first that didn't find themselves rolling on the ground in pain. You were also the first and only one to care enough to get stuck inside my head enough to distract me from an exam."
Ruby was practically glowing as Weiss's whispers slowly grew more sincere and emotional. Ruby closed her eyes at the gentle breath that ghosted across her lips as Weiss's barely made contact. Then they pressed slowly inwards and Ruby felt herself start to melt from the romantic air between them and the shocking tenderness Weiss was exhibiting. So far she'd been the only one to initiate anything, but now she knew she wanted Weiss to take charge whenever she felt like it.
Weiss broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Ruby's as she slowed her ever so slightly quickened breathing. Ruby opened her eyes to see Weiss's remaining closed as she soaked in the moment. Ruby was about to break the silence when Weiss spoke up once more, keeping her eyes shut as she said the last thing she knew she needed to say.
"Ruby, I have no idea what might happen tomorrow. My father will get a copy of my mark and he will almost definitely force me to go home." Weiss stated so Ruby knew why she was so conflicted. "I… don't want to leave you."
Weiss finally knew exactly what she wanted in terms of her relationship and it hurt more than anything to know it wouldn't work out. If she could do anything in her power to just extend what little time she had left for even a day, she felt like she'd be the happiest person alive.
"Shh…" Ruby moved to pull Weiss into a hug and started rubbing her back in circles again. Weiss knew she wasn't about to cry, but the circles seemed to also help her let go of the stress of the situation. Weiss took a deep breath and matched Ruby's embrace as a show of thanks. A thanks she felt could never be repaid in even an entire lifetime.
In the silence a beeping noise sounded making Ruby stiffen slightly. It wasn't unusual to get a message on their scrolls, but Weiss had a feeling it was important if Ruby was reacting the way she was. Weiss released Ruby and pushed her back gently.
"What is it?" Weiss asked, nodding to Ruby's pocket that was still beeping.
"N-nothing." Ruby replied quickly as she turned off the noise and moved to hug Weiss again only to be stopped by her outstretched hands.
"It's obviously not nothing if it's distracting you. Check it out." Weiss instructed and Ruby complied quickly. She scanned her scroll quickly and flicked through a couple of windows before giving a satisfied nod and returning it to her pocket. "Was it anything important?"
"Well, sort of but…" Ruby trailed off as she looked into Weiss's eyes.
"Come on, I've been the one telling you everything today, so talk." Weiss smiled warmly as she leaned back against the wall.
"Well… I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but since the mood's dead, I guess now's as good a time as any."
"Bad news?" Weiss guessed. Ruby never kept secrets unless there was a good reason, and she'd folded her hands together as if in prayer. Ruby took a deep breath before she answered.
"We've got another mission. Mistral's swamps." Ruby said monotonously.
"That's not bad. What is it, patrol? Nest clearing?" Weiss suggested, wanting to get the topic over with even though they'd just started. It's not like she'd have the chance to stay long enough to start the mission anyways.
"Capture." Ruby replied while closing her eyes.
"What?" Weiss thought she'd heard wrong. All her concerns suddenly gone as she realized that this time, the mission was serious.
"Capture. As in we find this guy and capture him. Or kill him. And then bring him in." Ruby replied in monotone. "Also, we leave tomorrow morning since his movements have started to lose a pattern and the window of opportunity is closing."
"Oh…" Weiss nodded as she let the information sink in. She knew that some hunters took contracts like this, but it didn't make things any easier when she's been on the opposite end of the sword before.
Ruby shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked over at Weiss. "Well, better not to dwell on it just now. The airship leaves at six so we have to get up early… but at least I get to keep you to myself a little while longer."
Weiss blushed at the possessive tone Ruby took as she scooped the heiress back into her arms.
"You are such a flirt, you know that?" Weiss informed Ruby as the latter started to pepper small kisses across her jaw and upper neck.
"Only with you, Weiss." Ruby replied in a whisper before Weiss felt a tug on her ear that brought a gasp from her lips as Ruby's teeth nipped playfully. Weiss was so lost in the assault that the sudden shadow that blocked the light from the windows came as a surprise as Ruby and Weiss jumped apart.
"Whoa! You two are dating now?" Nora asked excitedly as she bounced up and down. Ren was nowhere to be seen and that meant big trouble in Weiss's mind.
"Nora! Listen to me!" Weiss tried to grab the girl but she was already out of reach. "Please don't tell anyone! It's very important!"
"What?" Nora looked shocked as she spun around. At least that's what Weiss thought her expression looked like underneath the heavy dose of sarcasm. "I would never tell anyone… except Jauny and Reny and Blakey and Yang. And Suny and Neptune and Coco and Pyrrha and Velvet and-"
"Please, Nora. Please don't say anything to anybody." Ruby pleaded, her hand holding Weiss where she was as if she could sense the need Weiss felt to attack the girl in front of them singing the names of all their friends.
"Okey dokes!" Nora saluted and skipped back down the hall while she continued to sing the names of her friends on a loop.
Weiss and Ruby stood and started walking back to their dorm. As they did so, they exchanged a skeptical look.
"Do you really think she'll keep it a secret?" Weiss asked, voicing her doubt.
"I guess we'll have to see?" Ruby replied with a nervous giggle. "But just in case… we should probably tell Yang and Blake?"
Weiss sighed in defeat. She had wanted to keep the circle of people who knew about her relationship as small or non-existent as possible. Nora finding out was definitely detrimental to that plan. And she knew she'd be lucky if all of Vale didn't know about them within the week. Though all the blame couldn't fall solely to Nora. She hadn't exactly been discrete when she'd kissed Ruby at the end of their argument earlier. "Fine, let's just get this over with and then pack. We'll have a long day tomorrow."
"Yeah…" Ruby smiled and leaned into Weiss as they continued walking. "We will."