As Weiss and Ruby ventured into the forest on a snowy day, they held hands and ran across the grass that had packed snow all over it, weaving in between trees, and stepping on stones to make their way across a small frozen creek. Ruby, who was always like this, was enjoying her time immensely. But Weiss, who was always poised and polite, was enjoying her time even more. Acting like a child was something she was never able to do. She had been to too many formal dinners and business parties to ever let go of her composed ways. But around the brunette, she felt like she could be whatever she wanted and be loved unconditionally.
They were both laughing, but it seemed like for no particular reason. Maybe it was because they were so happy to be together or just laughing because they were completely care-free in the other's presence. As they came to the third creek that they had seen that day, Ruby stopped, putting her hands on her knees and panting. The chilled air was doing horrible things to her throat, but she was content with everything else. She exhaled, watching her breath flow into the air and disappear. Sunlight glinted off the rapidly flowing water that was lined with small stones and pebbles. It must have been one of the only creeks that weren't frozen, Weiss thought. It was surrounded by leafless trees, and on the opposite side of where they were standing, the ground sloped up into a small hill.
Ruby leapt over the thin creek in a single bound, and Weiss followed suit, offering her hand to Ruby before she jumped. Ruby was puzzled by the fact that her girlfriend didn't seem winded at all. She was spritely and ready for more running and jumping. When Weiss saw Ruby, she tightened her grip on her hand and dragged the panting girl up to the top of the slope. Weiss sat down on the snow, feeling the wetness and coldness of it against her backside, and hearing a familiar crunching sound as she sat. She patted the spot next to her with her gloved hand and looked expectantly towards Ruby.
It was astonishing how the cold didn't faze Weiss in the slightest. Weiss had told her that where she had grown up, it was snowing most days out of the year, and that her semblance had only aided her in withstanding the cold weather. She had obviously grown accustomed to it overtime.
Ruby trudged a little farther and sat down beside Weiss, resting her head on Weiss's should. The heiress had regained her regal posture, and her mist blue eyes scanned her surroundings fondly. The beautiful creek ran as far as she could see in both directions, and was surrounded by leafless trees that had glistening icicles hanging from the barren branches. There seemed to be no green in sight, and inches of packed snow covered the ground everywhere. She placed her hands in her lap and clasped them together. Looking down at her torso, she realized that Ruby had wrapped her arms around her.
Weiss put an arm on Ruby's back and started rubbing in big circular motions. She could feel Ruby let out a long, deep sigh of contentment and bury her head even further into the crook of Weiss's neck. She could feel the frost on her face, and Weiss pressed up against her provided relief and warmth. After a few minutes, Ruby popped an abrupt question that definitely caught Weiss by surprise.
"Do you believe in love?" asked Ruby, looking at Weiss with intrigue. Weiss sighed heavily, picking out certain memories of her experience with love. She wanted to be honest. There was also the fact that if she didn't talk, Ruby would bug her endlessly.
Weiss gave on last heavy sigh before sharing the story she had prepared. She spoke with a calm and steady voice, not faltering in her words once.
"When I was young, I saw my father cry, and curse at the wind. He'd broken his own heart, and I watched as he tried to reassemble it." Ruby listened intently, hanging onto every word. Weiss failed to meet Ruby's gaze multiple times, and settled on trying to see past the trees to the horizon. Everything seemed so stark. Snowflakes began to flurry down from the sky, finding a place in the girls' tresses.
"And my mother swore that she would never let herself forget. And after that I promised I would speak of love if it did not exist." At this, Ruby's stomach flipped. She knew Weiss loved her, but for some odd reason, the words she had just said were unsettling. But she felt much better at her next words.
"But you," Weiss began, finally meeting Ruby's gaze and cupping her cheek. The blood rushed to Ruby's cheeks as she stared lovingly up at her girlfriend. It was times that these that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Weiss.
"You're the only exception," Weiss finished. And with that, not giving Ruby anytime to say anything, she stood up, pulling Ruby along with her as they bounded across the creeks and weaved through the trees back to Beacon.