And now for a White Rose chapter! I have just felt like writing a little bit of White Rose because they're increasingly capturing my attention in the story. Plus, I know that a lot of people out there won't complain :P At least, I hope not! As always, please enjoy! Leave me a review if you have any comments. I really love hearing what you have to say!
I don't own RWBY.
Weiss was growing very impatient. Lying in her bed, staring out the large bay window into the darkness outside, she could feel her thoughts beginning to spin more and more quickly as her impatience continued to build with every passing second.
Where was Ruby?
Ruby had been nearly asleep by the time their movie had ended, so Weiss had insisted that they both head to bed. Ruby had complained that she wasn't tired at first, but had eventually acquiesced.
As the girls headed towards their respective rooms, Weiss had given Ruby's hand what she hoped to be a loving squeeze before they separated to head to bed. She still couldn't bring herself to say something sweet or endearing as they parted, but hoped that Ruby was able to understand her feelings through the slight squeeze.
After she had changed into her ice blue pajamas and slipped into her overly decadent bed, Weiss had laid there for several minutes in peace, decompressing from all of the events of the day. She did this every night, going through every word said and action made in order to file away the important moments that she might need to recall later.
But now that she was finished with her daily analysis, Weiss lay there for several more moments in quiet before she glanced towards her door, confusion etching itself on her face.
What was taking Ruby so long?
She would never admit that it was a "routine" or anything of the sort, but she had grown quite…accustomed to…Ruby sneaking in to her room not long after the two girls separated for bed and spending the night with her.
It never took the young girl this long to appear though, she thought as exasperation began to set in.
Not long after they had begun officially dating, Weiss had been startled one night when she was woken by a soft tap on her shoulder. As she peered into the darkness for the source of the disruption, she had found a very bashful Ruby standing by the edge of her bed, hesitantly pulling at the drawstrings on her pajama bottoms while staring at the ground.
Weiss had been immediately concerned upon seeing the girl and had asked, "Ruby, what's wrong? Are you feeling ok?"
Her questions had only seemed to make the girl more nervous, but Ruby had eventually been able to stammer, "I-I couldn't sleep…s-so I thought that, maybe, I could…sleep in here? Maybe."
Weiss had been astounded by the request. Her initial reaction had been to say no, simply because she had never shared a bed with anyone before in her life. She had never had any reason to share a bed. She was an only child, there was never a dearth of empty beds in her family's mansions, and she had never gone to spend the night at anyone else's home.
However, she had thankfully been able to suppress her instinctual response and give a quick nod of her head. She could hear her heart pounding as she had hesitantly pulled back a corner of the covers for her girlfriend to slip underneath, feeling the cool night air slip under the covers as she did.
Weiss could still remember clearly the look of shock Ruby had given her, as she looked from the covers to Weiss and back again, eyes wide as saucers with her jaw hanging open.
"Y-yes? Really? O-oh, ok!" Weiss had felt a pang of guilt at Ruby's reaction; was Ruby really so used to Weiss turning her down? She clearly had not expected Weiss to agree to her proposal. She had made a mental note to try not to reject Ruby so often.
Weiss could swear that her heart stopped beating for several seconds as the young huntress had clumsily climbed into the bed beside her. But once in the bed, Ruby had quickly pulled the covers back up over her, flopped down, and rolled over onto her side, facing away from the now confused heiress.
As she stared at the back of Ruby's head, mouth hanging slightly ajar, she had slowly settled back against her pillow in an attempt to go back to sleep. Quickly, she picked up the sound of Ruby's breathing beside her, a new addition to her normally quiet room. Warmth could also be felt spreading through the covers as the blankets absorbed some of Ruby's body heat, dispelling some of the chill that had crept under moments before.
What was she supposed to do now?
Weiss had little knowledge and zero experience with these types of situations, something that continuously terrified her. A horde of Grimm was perfectly fine; she knew precisely how to handle the creatures. Sleazy businessmen, strict professors, corrupt politicians…Weiss Schnee was highly adept at dealing with any of those people. But the young girl lying beside her terrified her in a way no adversary had ever been capable of.
Maybe it was because she had never cared for another person so deeply, the inexperience scared her. Maybe it was because she had knew very well her own personal failings, and was afraid that one day Ruby would be able to see them as well. Maybe it was because she couldn't read Ruby like she could other people, so there was no way to calculate a perfect response. Maybe it was because she thought that Ruby deserved someone better, and would one day find that person and leave her.
Her insecurities concerning her young girlfriend had no bounds, and Weiss was always able to find a new reason to be afraid of the relationship they were in. Weiss refused to give in to her fear however, because for the first time she actually knew what she wanted in life. Growing up, she had been handed everything, but nothing she had ever truly desired. She had thought that she wanted to become a huntress for superficial reasons, but that merely turned in to an afterthought after she had met Ruby.
So, no matter how uncomfortable or afraid Weiss felt, she always tried to push through her fear and solidify her relationship with Ruby in any way that she could. This, however, was much easier said than done. Weiss found that she failed to show Ruby her true feelings much more often than she succeeded.
Weiss had finally decided what she should do next. But she had moved her arm no further than a few inches towards the younger girl before she quickly drew it back to herself. Ashamed that she once again wasn't able to conquer her fear when it came to Ruby, she spun over onto her own side, facing away from the girl in disgust.
'I'm sorry," she had directed towards Ruby, letting out a heavy sigh. If only she could be as open and unrestrained as the young leader.
As she had lain there, berating herself for yet another failing, she had suddenly picked up the sound of the blankets rustling once again. Several seconds later, Weiss had nearly jolted out of the bed entirely as she felt an arm encircle her stomach and a warm presence move closer to her back. Holding her breath, she remained as rigid as a board as her mind exploded with thoughts that she couldn't even begin to make sense of.
After nearly a minute had passed, Ruby had apparently decided that her advance was unwelcome since Weiss' body was still completely frozen in place. Weiss felt the warmth begin to recede as Ruby began withdrawing her arm, murmuring a soft, "Sorry," as she retreated.
Only then had Weiss been able to act as panic began to grip at her chest. She had grabbed ahold of Ruby's hand before the girl managed to pull it completely away. Weiss held on to the young girl's hand tightly, praying that Ruby wouldn't move any further away. She had tried to say something, but no words seemed to be able to make it past her lips. All she had been able to do was hold on to Ruby's hand, squeezing her eyes shut as her heart beat loudly in her ears. If she had messed this up, who knew how long it would take before Ruby would try this again, if the poor girl would even try again at all.
Thankfully, this had been enough of a sign for Ruby, and the brunette had settled back in at Weiss' back, resting her arm carefully around Weiss' stomach. For her part, Weiss had done her best to relax her muscles, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm her nerves and her heartbeat.
Slowly, Ruby's warmth had begun to work its way through Weiss, tiny tendrils of heat that loosened every tense muscle reached. Weiss breathed deeply the slight aroma of roses, a scent that long ago had become a natural relaxant to her. Unfortunately, Yang had since figured this out and dragged Weiss through rose gardens as often as possible; the fiery girl seemed to love the effect the scent had on the heiress, much to Weiss' chagrin.
Before too long, Weiss had been able to relax in Ruby's arms, a feat surprising to the both of them.
That had been the first night Weiss could ever remember when she had felt…warm. And not the superficial surface warmth that one could create with blankets and heaters. She felt that the warmth was actually coming from within her, from within both of them.
It had been the best night's sleep Weiss had had in as long as she could remember.
The next night, Ruby had woken Weiss again, the same as before. Weiss had been surprised, but found it much easier to allow her girlfriend into her bed this time. Her nerves were still rampant, but Weiss fought through them as hard as she could, for she knew that it would be worth it in the end.
Before Ruby had even had the chance to tap her shoulder on the third night, Weiss had said, somewhat impatiently, "You don't need to wake me up every night, you know. You can just get in."
She had pretended not to see the huge grin Ruby had given her as she rolled hastily onto her side so that Ruby could slide into bed behind her.
Now, several months later, she found herself lying there, waiting for Ruby to sneak through her door and into her bed, but the young girl was nowhere to be found. She cursed herself as she tossed under the covers, each passing minute making her more and more annoyed and irritable. She had been fine sleeping alone her entire life; she should be able to sleep perfectly fine with or without her bubbly girlfriend nearby.
But, why wasn't she there?
Could it be that Ruby was angry with her? Weiss felt her heart clench at the thought. Maybe Ruby was upset about something Weiss had said today. It certainly wouldn't be the first time the heiress had said something callous and not realized it until much later. Weiss wracked her brain, trying to find what she could have said to upset her girlfriend so greatly.
After analyzing every conversation they had had that entire day and finding nothing, Weiss finally pushed the covers off of her in a huff and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Feeling her feet hit the plush carpet of her bedroom, she found herself headed towards her bedroom door before a second thought passed through her mind.
However, upon reaching the door, she suddenly became very self-conscious of her actions. What if Ruby was coming over to her room right now? What if she ran into Yang or Blake in the hallway? How would she explain to them what she was doing, sneaking in to Ruby's room late at night? It certainly wouldn't look very innocent to a bystander. And Yang would surely tease her until the end of time if she found out about this.
Weiss stood there, hand frozen a few inches above the door handle, as she waged this internal battle with herself, listening intently for any sounds of movement out in the hallway. After several minutes of indecision, Weiss finally cursed softly under her breath, pulling the door open as quietly as possible.
Quickly creeping the few yards to Ruby's room, Weiss had wasted no time in opening her girlfriend's door, not wanting to increase her risk of being caught by one of her other teammates in the hallway. Once the door was closed behind her, she allowed her eyes several seconds to adjust to the darkness of her girlfriend's room.
Peering towards Ruby's bed, Weiss was able to pick out the shape of Ruby, sound asleep. The brunette had apparently fallen asleep before she had even been able to get under the covers, as she lay curled up on her side in the middle of the bed.
Weiss instantly felt her unease dissipate at the sight. Ruby hadn't been snubbing her or angry with her; she had simply fallen asleep. She was instantly able to breathe a sigh of relief as she slowly approached Ruby's bed.
When she was close enough, she reached out and carefully pulled the covers out from underneath the slumbering girl, who merely mumbled softly in her sleep at the movement. Once that was done, Weiss used as much stealth as possible to slip into the bed beside the girl before pulling the covers back over their bodies.
Weiss now felt her nerves begin to unravel. She had explicitly given Ruby permission to come to her room anytime, but Ruby had never done the same for her. In fact, this was the first time Weiss had ever come into Ruby's room without approval. What if Ruby didn't want Weiss to be in her room? What if she would ask Weiss to leave once she woke up?
She shook her head as she tried to remove some of the insecurity that was creeping into her mind. Those type of thoughts were what kept her from acting the first time Ruby had snuck into her room. She firmly reminded herself that Ruby cared about her, as well, so likely wouldn't reject Weiss in that manner. At least, she hoped that Ruby wouldn't reject her…
Slowly, Weiss scooted towards Ruby, feeling her heart beating more rapidly in her chest. Gently setting herself down right behind Ruby, she nimbly slipped an arm around the girl's waist. She let out an audible breath of relief as she laid her head down on the pillow next to Ruby, please at not having woken the girl.
Her breath must have tickled Ruby's neck, as the young girl moved her head slightly to one side after feeling the irritation. Weiss felt her heart stop in anticipation as Ruby sleepily looked down at Weiss' arm, before craning her neck around to lock eyes with the heiress.
The darkness in the room hopefully kept Ruby from seeing the blush that was blossoming on Weiss' cheeks as Ruby peered back at her in confusion, silver eyes holding the question that was not spoken aloud.
"You were supposed to come over," was the only thing Weiss could think to grumble at that moment.
Confusion quickly turned into an apology as Ruby's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, Weiss, I'm so sorry! I was just so tired from today; I'm so sorry that I didn't wake back up!" Ruby cried, remorse beginning to fill her eyes.
Weiss felt guilt begin to build as she watched Ruby become more and more despondent. She had not meant to make Ruby feel this badly, at all. Thinking quickly, she tightened her grip on the girl, pulling her close enough so that she could lean in and give her a quick peck on the lips, effectively silencing anymore apologies that were about to be issued.
"It's ok now…dunce," she said gently as she rested her head on Ruby's shoulder, feeling content that she would be able to sleep, at last.
It was then that the two girls heard the front door slam with a loud bang downstairs. Weiss gave a heavy sigh, wondering which of their two teammates had just run outside at this hour. She couldn't keep down the small pang of worry that a certain Faunus had already broken her promise and fled from their lives once again, leaving a broken hearted fireball behind.
Ruby gently rubbed her hand up and down Weiss' arm after hearing that sigh, bringing Weiss back from her thoughts while sending small waves of contentment through her.
"Don't worry, Weiss," she whispered softly. "They'll get it sorted out, eventually. I don't think we need to worry about them too much."
Weiss snuggled closer to Ruby in silent acceptance of the girl's words, trying to claim some of her girlfriend's warmth for herself without seeming overly needy. She had believed Blake earlier today, that she would not leave them again, but she still couldn't help being worried for Yang's health. Weiss couldn't imagine the blonde huntress surviving another unexpected separation from her Faunus partner.
Weiss and Yang were surprisingly alike, in this way. It was this similarity that had brought the two girls closer several years ago.
Weiss had grown tired of Yang refusing to attend classes and moping over her lost partner, so she had started in on another harsh lecture about responsibilities, the importance of education, how unreliable the Faunus were, anything that she thought would get through Yang's thick skull.
Of course, Yang had only stared at her with those dull, lifeless eyes as Weiss laid into her. She made no reaction whatsoever, no matter how cruel the words became. The lack of response had only served to infuriate the heiress even more; at least give her some sort of reaction! At this point, even anger would have been a better response than nothing at all.
When Weiss had finally paused for a second to catch her breath, Yang had finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Weiss, what would you do if Ruby was gone?"
Weiss had, of course, scoffed at the question and responded quite haughtily, "I would be perfectly fine with or without her!" But Yang had already lost interest in her and was crawling back up into her bunk bed. Infuriated by the girl's indifference towards her, Weiss had turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door as hard as she could on the way out to lend voice some of her fury.
As she stalked off to class, Yang's question kept popping up in her mind again and again.
What would she do without Ruby?
While they hadn't been a couple at that time, Weiss had already become painfully aware that her feelings for their team leader ran far deeper than any she had ever felt before. She tried to imagine a world without Ruby in it, but could not even fathom what that might be like. In fact, she was already looking forward to making it to class so that she could sit down next to her partner and decompress.
Weiss had shrewdly recognized that she could not imagine a world without Ruby in it because, simply, Ruby was her world. If Ruby was no longer in her life, Weiss would cease to exist as she was now. Her world would have effectively been torn apart.
For the first time, Weiss had felt an unfamiliar feeling spread in her chest for the blonde brawler.
Sympathy.
From that moment on, Weiss had ceased lecturing Yang about skipping classes. Instead, she decided to do whatever she could to help the girl succeed in creating a new world for herself, a world without Blake.
She convinced all of their professors (leaning quite heavily upon her last name in some cases) to allow Yang to take her final exams as take home tests. She "grudgingly" leant Yang all of her meticulous notes to study from and quizzed the girl incessantly. She made sure the girl finished all of her tests on time and turned them in to the professors on her behalf. She personally went to Professor Ozpin to petition that Yang graduate with their class, even if the blonde refused to show up to the ceremony.
Yang was going to move on, if Weiss Schnee had anything to say about it.
But now, Blake had returned, threatening the delicate world Weiss had so painstakingly stitched together for her dear friend. If Blake did change her mind and if she did leave again…well, Yang's world had been fragile, at best, before her reappearance. If Blake left again, Weiss didn't believe that anyone would be able to save Yang a second time.
As for herself, she felt immeasurably grateful to have Ruby beside her at this moment. The heiress could no longer imagine life without being able to see Ruby's face every day, and she didn't even want to try to imagine that possibility. She obviously couldn't even sleep one night without the young girl by her side.
"You know," Weiss began, her voice showing far more conviction than she was actually feeling at that moment. "I think that you should just come to sleep in my room when I do every night, instead of sneaking in later."
"R-really?" Ruby stammered in surprise before letting out a nervous giggle. "I think that's a great idea!" she ended, unable to conceal the excitement in her voice.
She didn't have to look up at Ruby to know that the brunette had a maddeningly large smile on her face. She couldn't help a small smile from forming herself. No feeling was more satisfying to the heiress than being able to put a smile on her girlfriend's face.
The two girls fell asleep shortly after that conversation, leading Weiss to this morning, where she currently lay.
As she thought about the girl lying next to her, she couldn't help a feeling of pride growing in her chest. While she knew that she often gave Ruby a hard time, she was immensely honored that Ruby had agreed to be her girlfriend. Now Ruby was going to be staying in her room every night, but Weiss still felt like she wanted more. Witnessing the devastation Yang had been put through, Weiss knew that she would not be strong enough to survive if Ruby ever left. She needed to do something to prove to Ruby how much she meant to her.
Suddenly having an idea, Weiss delicately detached herself from Ruby and began sliding out of bed. Standing, she walked around to kneel down by Ruby's side, leaning forward to kiss the girl gently on the forehead.
As Ruby's eyes fluttered open, Weiss gave her a loving smile.
"Good morning," she whispered. "I have a meeting with my parents, but I'll be back in just a few hours."
"Mmk, Weiss," Ruby replied groggily, giving Weiss a sleepy smile that made her heart flutter. "But don't be gone too long, ok?"
Weiss couldn't help thinking that Ruby looked absolutely adorable when tired. She hesitantly swooped in and placed another kiss directly upon Ruby's lips.
"You know that I'll always rush back to you," she said with a flush, knowing that she was speaking about much more than just her meeting this morning.
Ruby gave her another drowsy grin before she began snuggling back into the covers, eyes already sliding shut.
"And I'll always be here waiting for you…" the young girl mumbled out as she slipped back into her slumber.
Face blushing from her girlfriend's candid response, Weiss hastily stood up, straightening her pajamas and suddenly feeling very self-conscious at her behavior. Clearing her throat quietly, she whispered, "Make sure you eat something decent for breakfast," before turning on her heel and quickly heading back to her room to change.
She had a lot to discuss with Mother and Father today.