Previously on Because Why Not?…

Having been struggling more than normal with her rehabilitation, Weiss decides to get a second opinion from a doctor she trusts. Those instincts prove right when he performs an emergency corrective surgery to prevent permanent damage from keeping her off the battlefield permanently. Through it all, Ruby stands by her side and assists the surgeon by sharing her aura with Weiss.

With that problem solved, Weiss finds her mood greatly improved, and decides to take Ruby out for pizza.

"So… are you going to tell me your plan?" Ruby asked in impatience as she walked with Weiss through a fairly empty shopping mall. Most of the stores should have been open at this time in the afternoon, but most appeared to be out of business or moving to a new location. The exception being the twenty four hour bank and dust shop with a sign so large it could be seen from the opposite end of the long hall.

"We're going to eat something and then I'm taking you around to see some of the city." Weiss replied, hoping Ruby would be satisfied with the answer. "It'll be like being a tourist."

"If this is you trying to take me to another museum, thanks, but no thanks. I'm still fully educated from the last one." Ruby replied with an expression Weiss had learnt meant that she was trying to dodge a metaphorical bullet. Her real bullet dodging face was a bit more serious.

"Don't worry so much. You'll have fun, I promise." Weiss replied with a reassuring smirk.

"Wait, you said that last time too!" Ruby complained, pulling herself closer to her partner so their shoulders met as they continued walking.

"Dolt. Don't you want to tag along with me?" Weiss asked, fed up with Ruby's complaints.

"Yup." Was the simple reply that Ruby gave. Weiss looked at her for a moment before sighing and relaxing a little as she let out a long breath.

"You're not helping me relax, you know." Weiss commented as they finally arrived at the pizza shop that was hidden between two closed stores.

"You wouldn't want me to." Ruby replied with a smile before she took the lead as Weiss had asked earlier.

Weiss simply watched as she approached the counter and asked for the menu before motioning over to one of the two empty tables in the shop. It was nice not to have to deal with waiting or crowds as they were the only customers, and the staff seemed more than happy to leave them alone in the front of the shop as they no doubt made sure the ovens were still on.

Weiss knew that Ruby had already decided on a pizza even though they hadn't looked at the menu, but that was because they'd done this exact same thing on countless occasions after their missions. Looking back, Weiss could barely call them dates, but they were close. She was enjoying Ruby's company more today than she had the past few days, but that may have been due to her recent corrective surgery.

Dr. Pain had done wonders, even if it had been terribly painful at the time. She realized his name was a bit ironic, and telling at the same time. But regardless of the process, she felt better than she had in days, and she could now walk on her own and felt only a bit stiff like she'd had a bad night's rest.

"Thinking of something?" Ruby asked as she poked Weiss on her cheek. Weiss snapped her eyes to her girlfriend and swatted her hand away carefully, before taking it in her own as she brought it to the table between them.

"Nothing important. Just that I feel much better now than I have since the mission." Weiss replied. "I also have you to thank for that."

"Nah… I didn't do anything." Ruby waved her off, but froze as Weiss caught her other hand and placed it on the table between them as well.

"Really, Ruby. Your aura is as drained as mine is because you helped the doctor with my treatment. Thank you." Weiss spoke, possibly more openly than she had ever spoken to Ruby before. The two remained quiet for a moment as their eyes locked. Weiss waited as she watched Ruby swallow nervously.

"You're welcome, Weiss." Ruby's voice was quiet, husky in the silence of the shop as the two settled into their comfortable silence.

Weiss thought that was one of the nice things about her and Ruby's relationship. They'd been enemies on the first day of school, turned into rivals after being put on the same team, and friends after that. Just because they were a fair bit more now, Weiss felt happy that she already knew so many sides to the girl before her. And the silence they shared now seemed to echo their understanding that they no longer needed to exchange words to get along.

Weiss supposed their relationship might be common for partners who had to work so closely together for so long, but at the same time felt it was something unique. And something she new would have to end, thanks in large part to her father. Not that she wanted that.

No, she wanted what she'd told Ruby the morning before their mission went bad. She wanted nothing to do with her father or his company, or Mr. Dunn or any of the others. All she wanted was to be by Ruby's side, and if that meant being a huntress, then so be it. She'd deal with these injuries a thousand times over again if need be. Of course, she didn't really want to be injured, but it was sort of an occupational hazard of being a huntress.

Ruby on the other hand… no. Weiss didn't want to think about that. Ruby'd been hurt before and she'd been scared before for Ruby's safety. Maybe not as scared as she had been in the initiation where Ruby had tried to take a deathstalker head on, but still scared. It was so easy for so many things to go wrong on a hunt. From freak storms to a change in migration patterns of grimm, to bandits or pirates that travelled in search of easy targets simply because they could. Remnant was a terrifying world, and hunters and huntresses were the only thing to stop it falling apart completely.

But Weiss couldn't ignore the fact that if they did go down that path, either herself or Ruby would one day get hurt even worse than they had already. At the best, they may be forced into an early and thankless retirement as the kingdoms would discard them like trash. At worst, one of them, or maybe even both of them might be killed on a mission where their opponent was just too strong.

"Hello? Are you there, Weiss?" Ruby waved in front of her face and Weiss snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Ruby? Did you ask something?" Weiss asked, knowing full well she'd spaced out. Trying to hide the fact from Ruby would be pointless, as it seemed nothing had happened since her thoughts had checked out.

"Yeah. I asked if you were okay with orange soda. 'Cause that's what I got you." Ruby said while picking up the fizzing drink and placing it back down in the same spot.

"Oh, sure. That's fine." Weiss replied, trying to shake off her earlier thoughts.

"So… whatcha thinking?" Ruby prodded while moving her chair next to Weiss's. She turned Weiss to her and placed her hand on her cheek in a way that made Weiss sigh and lean into the gentle pressure.

"It's nothing to worry about." Weiss replied as she placed her hand on the back of Ruby's and closed her eyes as Ruby's thumb stroked her cheek just below her eye. It was strange how comforting the contact was since it was still relatively new, but she couldn't deny how warm it made her heart feel in comparison to the cold of her fear filled thoughts from earlier.

"If it's bothering you, then it is something I worry about." Ruby replied as she looked over Weiss's shoulder.

Weiss turned to find a small woman carrying their pizza out from behind the counter to their table. A moment later, she left them after asking if they wanted anything else. She turned back to Ruby, who was looking at her as if attempting to read her mind and sighed.

"I'm scared. I'm just scared, Ruby." Weiss replied to the question Ruby wanted answered. The gentle squeeze on her hands told her Ruby wanted to hear more, so she continued. "I'm afraid of getting hurt, of seeing you hurt. I… I might have once wanted to become a huntress, but not anymore. Ruby, can you honestly say you want to keep doing these missions? Where you never know when we might get hurt or killed?"

Ruby nodded slowly as she closed her eyes and let out the breath she was holding. "Yes. I want to keep going."

A silence descended between them as Weiss slowly nodded her head. "You won't change your mind, even with what it could cost you."

"No, I won't." Ruby confirmed with a nod as she squeezed Weiss's hands. "I've trained most of my life to become a huntress. It's all I know. And I'm good, you know I am. There will always be risk, but you just have to be smart. I believe that was a lesson from a stubborn heiress I know…"

"Ruby, I'm serious. I could find you something-" Weiss started only to be silenced by Ruby's lips.

"Weiss. I appreciate what you're doing, but stop. I'm going to be a huntress. I understand you have things you need to do too after graduation. All these offers, this… wanting to stay how it is forever, it's… it hurts." Ruby said as she pulled back and moved her chair to the other side of the table. As she sat it down, she continued. "I really do love you, Weiss. But if you're getting married to somebody else, why do I need to follow you?"

"Ruby…" Weiss closed her eyes and rubbed them with her palm, noticing now how tired she was after the operation. "I won't do it, you know. Getting married, having kids. It's not me. Not something I want. At least, not now and definitely not in a few short months."

"The contracts-"

"Yes, I know about the damned contracts, Ruby! You're the one who brought them to my attention!" Weiss sighed as she rubbed her temple. She looked back at Ruby who almost appeared angry, and Weiss couldn't blame her from how she'd been acting. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. I just… there is one way to get out of all of them at the same time."

"Wait, what?" Ruby blanked as the new information sank in.

"Ruby, there's a law in Atlas that says the direct beneficiary of any person has the right to act on their behalf in the event the person in question is unable, physically or mentally, to finalize their business transactions." Weiss spoke slowly and clearly, hoping Ruby would catch the meaning without her need to spell it out.

Weiss wasn't disappointed as she watched Ruby's eyes grow wider than she'd seen them in a long time.

"You can't mean…"

"Ruby, the only way I can get out of all the contracts my father has made for me, is to put him in a position where he can't manage them. As the heiress, I would assume full control of the company and any contracts it's involved in." Weiss took a deep breath, knowing the words she was about to say would likely get her arrested by her own security had they been with her. "My father…. If I want to be free from him and his plans, my father must be killed."

A brief silence engulfed them as they communicated wordlessly, the meaning and will behind Weiss's words sinking in and a stroke of fear sending a shiver down Ruby's spine at the proposed action.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I wasn't expecting it, that's all." Ruby replied faster than she even thought the words.

The two partners looked away from each other for a moment before realizing their food was getting cold. Without speaking, they each started on their meal in the silence that had often visited them when they were both absorbed in their own thoughts. Now though, Weiss sensed that Ruby was keeping her silence for another reason. Caution. Their last mission had been tougher than usual with both of them taking the first human lives of their careers.

Ruby, for various reasons, had been more prepared for the eventuality though she hadn't expected to do something like that while still in school. For her, the trauma had been more because of the fact that it had been a simple stranger, who had done nothing wrong as far as she'd known at the time. But also a stranger that had come very close to killing her partner in a confrontation. In the end, there wasn't much to consider in the matter. Ruby knew that she'd done what she had to. She would do it again if the need arose, though she hoped it wouldn't.

Weiss, on the other hand, hadn't truly reacted at all to the conclusion of their mission. She'd been more in a state of shock over her injuries, and only once when she'd been very tired, had she remembered her actions and shown remorse. Yet it was strange, the suggestion she'd just made seemed in direct contrast to the nature of her partner who had fought tooth and nail to save other teams when things fell apart in large operations like the end of year test in their second year.

"I know what you're thinking, Ruby." Weiss sighed as she wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin. "I didn't mean I wanted him dead. I might hate him, but he's still my father. I just can't think of another alternative. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore."

Ruby finished the last piece of pizza while listening to her partner. It seemed she finally had the answer to the question she'd been asking Weiss for a while now. The only problem was that Ruby herself didn't know how to help. On the one hand, putting Weiss's problem aside would be the easiest, but it would only resurface later. If she did address it, it could lead to a confrontation between the girl and her father which may not help things at all. It wouldn't do any good to explain to Weiss that she'd already received Mr. Schnee's blessing, since Weiss herself could only imagine his anger at finding out about them, which he apparently already had.

"Weiss, I know it sounds stupid, but why don't you just take a step back and stop worrying about the future?" Ruby raised her hand as her partner opened her mouth, most likely in order to protest the suggested course of action. "Not forever, just for now. Worry about your recovery. Worry about me making a fool of myself at the ball. Worry about Victor Von Whats-his-name appearing wearing a chicken suit."

Ruby smiled as Weiss almost choked from the sudden spurt of laughter at the last suggestion. She knew she'd actually managed to say the right thing for once when Weiss looked up at her with the beginning of tears in her eyes.

"Just worry about today, and what you want to do now." Ruby nodded as Weiss wiped the tears away. "That's how I've been getting through this whole relationship so far. Since graduation, as it stands, won't be nearly as happy a time."

"You sound like your story books, but you make a good point, Ruby." Weiss smiled as she dropped a bill on the table as she stood and moved to take Ruby's hand. Ruby stood and took her hand, guiding them out of the restaurant and out of the mall.

They had walked a couple blocks when Ruby realized Weiss was gently guiding her to turn a corner. They continued walking with no sign of Klein and after another block, Ruby started to wonder.

"So… where are we going?"

"Does it matter? I'm spending time with you and I don't have to deal with smiling for newly arrived guests." Weiss said with a sidelong glance at her partner.

"You're smiling now." Ruby teased, relaxing in the knowledge Weiss was happy just to be alone with her. It was amazing that this feeling she'd had since the beginning of her education at Beacon was being reciprocated, or at least appeared to be reciprocated. Even if it was just for now, there was the hope that maybe it wouldn't end when the time came. She hadn't told Weiss about that hope for fear of sounding stupid. But with the way Weiss had been acting lately, Ruby felt deep down that she didn't want this to end, and hoped that Weiss would feel the same.

"Ruby? Do you feel the same?" Weiss asked as Ruby snapped out of her thoughts to find herself already in the lobby of some hotel.

"Um…" Ruby replied, brushing away the ghost of her previous thoughts. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Dolt, how many times do I need to tell you not to space out?" Weiss reprimanded her before placing a small peck on her cheek as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "I asked if you wanted to go first or second?"

Ruby once again hesitated, though more due to Weiss pressing her body up against her side than for fear of another reprimand. Though that wasn't what she wanted either.

"What about at the same time?" Ruby asked as they left the lobby and walked down a hallway that led deeper into the building. Weiss froze for the slightest fraction of a heartbeat before she continued leading Ruby with her slow but intimate walk.

"Do you think we're really ready for that, Ruby?" Weiss asked at length, once they arrived in yet another hallway. "I mean… you know."

"Um… actually Weiss? I'm not sure what you were asking about." Ruby replied with a blush. When Weiss went to pull away, Ruby trapped her with her arm. She didn't want Weiss to see her blush this time as she put her thoughts to words. "I love you, Weiss. And as long as you're beside me, I'll be ready for anything no matter what."

Ruby felt Weiss's head duck down as they came to a halt. Weiss turned slightly and Ruby watched as she swiped a plastic card in the door, unlocking it. Wordlessly, Weiss pulled Ruby into the room and bolted the door with all three locks. She pushed Ruby out of the way as she crossed to the window and pulled the drapes closed, cutting off all outside light from the room that overlooked a pool area. She turned to the two lamps sitting on the bedside tables and turned the close one on to send a quiet, warm glow over the room before she approached the wall switch and turned off the ceiling light that had been lit when they'd entered.

There she stayed, hoping that Ruby would stop staring at her. In the warm light from the single lamp, everything took on a deeper, more exotic look, including Ruby with her slight, but defined musculature that showed out of her shirt sleeves. In fact, it was what Weiss had been looking at when she'd made the decision to bring her here.

The first time she'd been in this situation, she'd been completely black-out drunk. She'd sworn it would never happen again, but this time wasn't like last time. She was very much sober and equally afraid of what she wanted.

"Ruby, f-follow me." She said, cursing her nervous stutter as she passed the girl into the washroom.

She didn't wait for Ruby before running the tub with warm water. Normally, she wouldn't dare touch a tub in a hotel, but this chain was an exception. It's rooms were amazingly well cleaned after every visitor, which accounted for the massively expensive bill they charged. But Weiss couldn't very well do what she wanted with servants that would report to her father breathing down her neck at their mansion.

Ruby entered slowly, as Weiss stopped the water which had now foamed up with bubbles that had been provided as complimentary by the hotel. Weiss passed her, remaining silent as she closed the bathroom door and locked it before turning down the dimmer so that the light matched the ambiance of the bedroom beyond the door.

She went back to the tub and kept her back to Ruby as she removed her clothes and stepped into the warm water before turning around, fully masked by the pink bubbles that seemed more shadow than anything else.

"W-what are you waiting for, get in." Weiss ordered, frustrated with Ruby for simply staring at her the entire time.

"Okay." Ruby breathed, suddenly thankful for her fortunate zone out earlier. She disrobed, trying to emulate the grace with which Weiss had done so. She failed right at the end as she stumbled but Weiss didn't laugh as Ruby'd expected, instead simply reaching her hand up from the water to offer Ruby as she climbed in.

Ruby'd barely sat down in the large tub before her lips were claimed by Weiss as she settled herself firmly between her legs and pressed their bodies together.

Ruby surrendered to the kiss Weiss was leading her in. It was a side of Weiss she'd only seen in their school lives or during missions where Weiss would take the lead. In their personal life, Ruby seemed to always be the one leading. So this twist of roles, and with the amount of clothing both bore between them, Ruby was amazingly happy.

Weiss explored with her hands, running them up and down Ruby's arms, slowly feeling the musculature that had developed by swinging Crescent Rose around and bracing the recoil from every fifty calibre round she fired for almost three years of intense training and more intense missions. Weiss deepened the kiss as she moved on to Ruby's shoulders and back, admiring the way her shoulder blades were almost rock solid compared to her own, yet the flesh still yielded to her touch as if it was melting stone.

Ruby took the opportunity and mirrored her partner's movements, slowly feeling the soft skin of her arms and the elegant muscle they concealed. Her shoulders were slim as they appeared in her combat dress and her back was perfect for Ruby's hands that each took up exactly half the width of the space as she slowly dragged them down, ever mirroring her partner's movements.

Weiss broke the kiss as she pushed her hand onto the middle of Ruby's stomach, knowing Ruby would be extremely cautious of touching her there especially after the events of the day. She was right, watching as Ruby's eyes questioned with a silent plea that seemed to refuse restraint. With a nod, Weiss gasped as Ruby's hand pressed so softly into her stomach in a touch that was both far too intimate, and not nearly intimate enough to satisfy her desires.

"Can I…?" Weiss breathed as she licked Ruby's lips with half-lidded eyes. A movement she knew would drive her partner crazy with the way she was already panting from the kiss.

"Yes. Can I?" Ruby replied quickly, between her gasping as she met her partner's tongue with her own.

After a moment spent renewing their heated kiss, Weiss's hand slowly rose as one leg moved forward, closer to Ruby's core as her other moved over Ruby's leg.

Ruby gasped as the heiress's leg bumped into her sensitive core and another sensation rested on her leg. Ruby felt any inhibition she had remaining about this night crumble as Weiss gently massaged her breasts, and Ruby moved one hand to return the favour as the other moved to Weiss's lower lips.

Weiss gasped as Ruby's fingers skillfully played with her nipple while her other hand flicked around her sensitive bundle of nerves. She clenched her legs tighter as Ruby's hand picked up the pace and struggled to mirror her as she sucked on Ruby's tongue and moved one hand to Ruby's core.

Ruby almost choked on her gasp as Weiss sucked her tongue in a fantastically erotic way while she slipped a finger between her folds, and all the way in until her partner's palm bumped the nerves that sent a shock through her body.

"Ahhn!" Ruby moaned as Weiss moved her finger in and out, the soapy water and Ruby's arousal both helping the slim digit move as Weiss dragged the pad of her finger against her walls.

Ruby felt a new feeling bubbling below her skin that was both similar, and completely different from the times she'd done this alone. It was completely different than her own ministrations, that she'd gotten used to, but Weiss was unpredictable. She sped up and slowed down, seemingly at random, sometimes simply thrusting her finger while curling it other times to send a different shock through her body, and twisting it sometimes left and other times right.

Ruby could barely think enough to change how she was treating Weiss, but Weiss couldn't care less. She felt her self holding on to her slowly deteriorating awareness as Ruby's simple rubbing sent shivers throughout her body.

"Shit!" Weiss gasped as a particularly violent shiver sent her entire weight onto her partner who seemed to only speed up as their chests pressed together through the thin film of bubbles. Ruby claimed Weiss's lips and they resumed their kissing. More sloppy than Weiss would normally ever approve of, yet more reckless than Ruby'd ever imagined.

"R-Ruby!" Weiss gasped as they parted, breathing frantic as every nerve in her body screamed for release.

"M-me too Weiss!" Ruby's reply came, her voice sounding even farther gone than Weiss's own.

Their cries mingled and echoed in the small room as Weiss fell onto her team's leader, shivering as the last muscles under her control gave out and surrendered to the most magnificent orgasm she'd ever experienced. And drawing it out, Ruby's muscles shook and writhed as her voice cried her partner's name and her eyes rolled up into her head as her core clamped down on Weiss's fingers, Ruby's fingers constantly brushing against Weiss's overly sensitive bud.

Many minutes later, the last of the bubbles dissolved, revealing the war marked bodies beneath. But Weiss continued to cling to Ruby who in turn held Weiss in her arms, their kissing not as deep as while in the throws of passion, yet not so shallow as to seem like just another make out session.

"So… not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I totally did, but what brought that on?" Ruby asked as she broke from the kiss and placed a chaste peck on Weiss's forehead before drawing her head to her chest.

Weiss listened to Ruby's heartbeat, too enamoured to respond right away as she herself didn't know the exact thing that had spurred her on to this event. She felt suddenly very shy as she looked up into Ruby's eyes and returned the chaste peck to her lips.

"Ruby, I… didn't plan to do this here." Weiss started, already fearing she sounded stupid, but not shying away since Ruby was the one asking. "I'd originally thought we could wash up and continue this in the other room, but… you know."

"Not that, I mean this whole thing in general." Ruby clarified, smiling slightly at her girlfriend, trying not to laugh that Weiss had thought she'd been questioning the choice of place.

"Oh… well…" Weiss buried her face into Ruby's shoulder, grazing it gently with her teeth before responding. "This might have happened sooner if I wasn't always protecting myself from getting too attached to you. I realized while we were just talking that even if I'd been trying to keep my distance, there was nothing left. This was the only step left for us to take. I loved you, Ruby. With my whole soul. And now I've loved you with my body as well. I've given myself to you, Ruby. Just as you've given yourself to me. I want to promise you that no matter what, I'll never be anybody else's, because I'm already yours."

Ruby simply smiled and recaptured Weiss's lips as she pulled her up and then took a pair of towels from the bar next to the tub. After drying her body quickly, she turned to Weiss as she dropped her towel on the sink, puffing out her chest as she did so in a way that advertised her breasts. "Then how about we continue negotiations in bed, Ms. Schnee?"