A/N: So this was supposed to be a fun little thing to help me get over my writer's block. Turns out, it took me over a week to write it... Oh well
"Alright, class dismissed!" The voice of our professor resonated in the room, bringing about a round of pathetic sounding cheers.
See, by class, the man actually meant the fifty-minute period spent throwing mystical attacks at our auras until we fell, one by one. And of course, being as stubborn as I was, I didn't fall. No, I stood there for almost an hour as my aura was repeatedly battered, poked, and prodded.
Realistically, it would have been a much better idea just to admit defeat. After all, now I was half walking, half stumbling out of the room with an aura that was completely out of whack. Which of course meant that something bad was bound to happen.
But I didn't acknowledge how dangerous a sloppy aura was, so I just kept walking back to my room, looking forward to the quiet time. Every week there was this nice little window on Wednesdays when I had the room to myself; Yang had her advanced hand-to-hand combat class, Weiss was in some high-level dust theory course, and Blake was holed up in the library. This meant I had exactly one hour and thirty-seven minutes to do my homework in utter silence before someone barged in.
So that's what I was doing, reading some chapter in a textbook about using aura to alter your appearance slightly, and the applications when it came to undercover work.
Or maybe I was just making up those applications…
Anyway, everything would have been fine, if not for the fact that I was utterly exhausted from the workload our professors had dumped on us these past few weeks. Combat training, sparing, fighting the monsters kept in classrooms; those would have all been fine. But no, they decided to add research and essays on top of all that. Due to the cumulative work, I hadn't gotten more than four hours of sleep in the past three nights.
Needless to say, reading a textbook while both physically and mentally drained, I was nodding off constantly. And eventually, I just face-planted the book. Unfortunately for me, this jostled the bottle of dust I may have forgotten to put away earlier, and caused it to fall to the floor; the glass shattering upon impact and the dark green powder spreading out in a cloud.
The crash of the bottle had me shooting up out of my chair, shocked wide-awake as I stared at the mess now covering the floor.
"Great… just what I needed." I muttered, trying to remember where we had stored the broom in all the clutter of our room. "Weiss is going to kill me when she finds out."
Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating, but she'd be rather irritated, that was for sure. Even if she was trying to be nicer, I had just wasted a perfectly good supply of dust, now that it was riddled with glass shards. So of course the heiress to the largest dust company in the world was going to have some choice words for me.
Trying not to dwell on that inevitable lecture, I found the broom shoved in the corner of the room, and went to sweep up my mess. However, it seemed nothing wanted to go right for me today, as every time I swept the dust, it created a larger and larger cloud of powder, inching its way towards my face.
Eventually, the powder finished its slow trek, and I got a large whiff when I tried to sigh in aggravation. The aerosolized powder tickling the inside of my nose, I tried my best not to sneeze, remembering exactly what happened the last time, and shuddering at the thought of blowing up my room. Instead, I tried to hold the sneeze in, but the second I did that I was overcome with the strangest sensation. It was like a mini explosion in my brain, followed by a wave of black gripping my senses as my body fell to the floor.
XXXXX
The sound of a door opening and closing stirred me from my impromptu nap. As I became aware of my body, I was confused as to why I was lying on the floor, but I just figured I must have passed out in my chair and fallen to the floor.
Opening my eyes, a wall of dark red overwhelmed my vision, but that was really nothing new considering my cloak acted as a very nice blanket sometimes. What did confuse me, however, was that I wasn't able to untangle myself from the cloak.
"Ruby…" A voice growled from somewhere above me.
Was that Weiss? Why was she mad at me? What did I do this time?
"Hiding under that cloak is not going to save you." The voice informed me, only this time much louder. Yep that was definitely Weiss, but did she really feel the need to yell? "I know it was you who spilled the dust everywhere."
Still completely tangled in my cloak, I let out a frustrated groan, at my current predicament and at Weiss's yelling. Except, what was supposed to come out as a groan came out as a high-pitched squeak.
Well, that can't be right…
Finally admitting defeat, I opened my mouth to ask Weiss to help me out of the tangled mess I was in, but once again a high-pitched yelp was all I could manage.
"Ruby?" Now Weiss sounded confused, which was definitely an improvement over angry, but she was still yelling, which was really weird. "Ruby, stop messing around."
Soon a thump sounded somewhere to the left of me, more than likely the other girl kneeling onto the ground. Following closely, I felt the cloak being lifted, and my entire body followed the fabric. Once again, that couldn't be right. That would mean I was smaller than my cloak.
As suddenly as I was lifted, I felt the cloth supporting me unravel, and I tumbled onto the hard wooden floor, a huff pulled from my lungs as I impacted.
"What in the world?" Weiss's voice had finally returned to a normal volume, but sounded much lighter than normal, almost as if she was trying to whisper but failed miserably.
Finally free of my red prison, I turned to thank the white-haired girl for the help, but was cut short when I got a good look at her. Somehow, Weiss had grown into a giant, dwarfing my prone form. Shaking my head, and hoping that I was still dreaming, I noticed that the entire room had grown huge.
Wanting some answers, I tried to ask Weiss what was going on, but my voice came out as a bark. A legitimate bark, just like a dog. Figuring out my voice wasn't cooperating, I attempted to stand, but fell back onto my hands the second they left the floor.
That's when I noticed that they weren't hands, but fuzzy black paws. Letting out a yelp, I quickly took stock of the rest of my body, spinning in a full circle. Well, it was official, I was still asleep. How else would I be standing here as a small black puppy?
"I can't believe Ruby!" I looked up to see Weiss now pacing the floor. "What was she thinking, bringing a dog into the dorms?"
She thinks I found a dog? Where would I? We're thousands of feet in the air! I mentally grumbled to myself, feeling a strange pulling on the top of my head. Oh wonderful, my ears move on their own.
"Where did that little red demon even go?" Weiss's booming voice pulled me out of my musing. That's when I realized the other girl wasn't yelling; instead, my hearing had seemed to improve to the point where any talking sounded much louder.
Wait a second. Red demon? I thought she was trying to be nicer to me…
"I swear…"
Not wanting to hear the end of that sentence, I started barking to get her attention.
"What?"
How do I get her to realize that I'm Ruby?
Not knowing what else to do, I just kept barking at her.
"Stop that! If someone finds you then I'm going to get in trouble for Ruby's idiocy." Weiss hissed down at me.
Beyond frustrated at this whole situation, and the fact that Weiss had insulted me multiple times, I started growling, feeling my ears pull back flat against my head once more. This seemed to get Weiss to stop fuming, but now she was just staring down with an "are you serious?" face.
Come on Weiss, I know you're smart. Put it together. The dust, the cloak, the fact that human Ruby is gone. I mentally pleaded the now-taller girl who just kept staring at me.
"I must be going crazy…" Weiss mumbled, obviously to herself, with an eye roll. "Why else would I think the dog was trying to tell me something?"
Yes! Come on, you can do it!
"What?" Weiss asked as she sat down in front of me.
Does she expect an answer? I groaned to myself.
Not really knowing what else to do, I jumped into her lap and, ignoring her squeal of protest, placed my paws on her chest so that I was eyelevel with her. As soon as I did this, I noticed that Weiss had a rather pleasant scent. It reminded me of dawn on a winter day, clean and crisp, with just a hint of something warm and comforting.
"You little…" Wiess's anger seemed to dissolve into inquiry as she made eye contact, and her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "No, that can't be it." She gently picked me up and placed me back on the ground. "But…"
Come on, come on!
"Ruby?"
YES!
With that statement I let out a bark of sheer joy, leaping into her lap again.
"Hey! Get off of me!" Weiss grumbled, trying to push my wiggling form off of her.
Ignoring her, and allowing my joy, and apparently my new instincts, to overcome my rational thought, I leaned up and licked Weiss all along the left side of her face.
As soon as I pulled back I realized the mistake I had made. Weiss was completely frozen, a look of pure shock on her face. Unfortunately for me, that anger gave way to a look of pure murderous rage a few moments later.
Oh no…
"You little mongrel!"
Knowing I was in for it, I leapt off of her lap and ran to the nearest cover, miraculously not stumbling along the way. Weiss wasn't far behind, running after me, demanding I stop. I was a bit faster than her, and managed to get under Blake's bed before the heiress caught me, thought that didn't stop her from getting onto her hands and knees to try to snatch me.
"Weiss, what are you doing?" A new voice became audible from somewhere towards the front of our room.
Figuring this new person could be my saving grace, I scrambled out from under the bed and towards the person, who I now could identify as Blake. As soon as I reached the tall dark haired girl, I hid behind her legs, crouching and trying to make myself as small as possible.
However, for some reason, I saw Blake tense up completely. She began emitting some sort of strange low growling coming from her that even I could barely hear. Her scent also confused me; the only word that would come to mind to describe it was "wild", but I had no idea how that could be a smell.
"Oh my god, is that a dog?" Before I could dwell too much on Blake's strange behavior I was suddenly flying upwards and being crushed up against someone who smelled like gunpowder and leather. "Aww, it's so cute." I managed to reposition myself enough to see the wild mane of golden hair that I knew could only belong to my older sister.
"It's a wolf, not a dog." I heard Blake just about growl at Yang.
"Well, the animal is still adorable, regardless." Yang, completely missing Blake's mood, shrugged as she started scratching behind my ears.
"That animal is your sister." Weiss finally decided to join the conversation, and even though I couldn't see her, I could just about hear the scowl in her voice.
"Ha ha. Very funny Weiss." Yang scoffed at the other girl and continued to scratch my ears.
Alright, no matter how good that feels, it needs to stop. We need to figure out how to get me back to normal! I attempted to squirm out of my sister's grip, but it was like trying to move a tree. Not really going to happen.
"You want down?" Yang asked when it was apparent I couldn't get out myself. "There you go." She set me down gently on the floor, then turned to close the door. Realizing that I was making Blake uncomfortable, I trotted over towards Weiss, hoping she wouldn't try anything now that Yang was here.
"I'm being serious!" Weiss snapped at Yang. "I have no idea how or why, all I know is that when I came back from class today, that animal was wrapped up n Ruby's cloak, right next to a broken bottle of purified nature dust."
"If the wolf is Ruby, then why were you yelling and chasing after it?" Blake asked, thankfully much calmer now that I was farther from her.
"I figured it out, then she licked me." Weiss grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. The statement, and Weiss's scowl had my sister snickering uncontrollably. "I don't care if she is a dog, or wolf, or whatever. I don't want her tongue anywhere near me!"
At that, Yang broke out into full hysterical laughter, doubling over and almost falling to the floor. I might have even heard a "yeah right" thrown in there, but it was hard to tell though all the laughing. I even saw Blake smirk slightly, though she was much better at hiding it.
Yang… I groaned, lying down and putting a paw over my eyes. Did you have to go there?
"What is so hilarious?!" Demanded Weiss, even going as far as stomping her foot. It was obvious she didn't hear my sister's comment.
"Noth- nothing!" Yang managed to get out after a few moments.
"Then why are you laughing?" Weiss countered.
"It's just a rather strange situation." Blake interjected, helping out her partner. "Everyone's going to handle it differently."
"Regardless, let's say I believe you, that the wolf is really my sister." Yang managed to get herself under control as she addressed my partner. "What do we do now?"
"How should I know?" Weiss groaned and shot me a glare.
Hey, it's not like I wanted this! I grumbled.
"You're the dust expert." Yang shrugged.
"Well, I've never heard of dust turning someone into an animal." The white-haired girl shot back.
"Dust interacts with one's aura, right?" Blake asked, a pensive look on her face.
"Yes. The more powerful your aura, the more you can control dust." Weiss answered. "Why?"
"Ruby had her aura class today." Blake answered, though it didn't seem to help anyone figure it out. "I heard a few of her classmates complain that the professor just abused their auras until they couldn't take it anymore. But one student stood there and endured for the full class." She clarified.
"Let me guess. That ridiculously stubborn student was Ruby, wasn't it?" Weiss sighed and let her head fall into her hand.
"Yes."
"So her aura was all messed up, and she broke the dust bottle which together turned her into a wolf pup?" Yang asked, glancing down at me.
"It would seem so."
"So we take her to the advanced dust professor and get this sorted out. What are we waiting for?" Yang asked, already moving towards the door.
"That would be a great idea; however, she's out for the rest of the week." Weiss sighed.
"What?" Yang turned. "You have to be kidding me."
"No. She's at a seminar, she cancelled her classes until Monday." Weiss explained, moving to sit on her bed. "And I can't think of anyone else that would know how to fix this."
"So Ruby's stuck like this until Monday?" My sister asked, moving to crouch by my side.
"I'm afraid so." Weiss said.
I'm going to be a wolf for four days? A small whimpering began to come from me, and as embarrassed as I was, I couldn't help it. I didn't want to be an animal for any length of time. I mean, how was I supposed to go to class? Or fight monsters?
"Maybe it'll wear off?" Blake suggested, though no one seemed to have hope.
"It's unlikely, though not impossible." Weiss replied.
"Someone has to tell Ozpin." Blake pointed out. "Ruby obviously can't go to class for the rest of the week."
"I'll do it." Yang sighed and patted me on the head. "She's my sister after all."
XXXXX
The rest of the day was rather uneventful, and incredibly boring for me. While my teammates worked on their homework, I rested in the corner, just trying to stay out of the way. I did have to have Yang take me outside twice considering I could no longer use a human restroom, which was uncomfortable for both of us.
Eventually it was time for bed, and I was faced with a problem. While everyone else climbed into their beds, I was left on the floor, glaring up at the hanging form of my bed. For the first time, I was really regretting having the top bunk.
So I was left with three choices. One, the floor, which was cold and uncomfortable. Two, Blake's bed, but that was immediately dismissed as I considered her reactions form earlier today.
That left only my partner's bed. Somehow, I don't think Weiss was going to appreciate me sleeping in her bed, but I had been trying to get comfortable for the past hour with no success. This was the only viable option I could think of.
Steeling myself, I crouched onto my haunches then leapt to the fluffy blankets a few feet above me. Managing to get my upper body onto the mattress, I pulled the rest of my body up. However, this caused quite a bit of movement of the blankets, and a moment later Weiss was sitting up and no doubt glaring at me.
"Ruby, what are you doing?" I looked up to see Weiss, illuminated by the incoming moonlight, glaring just like I figured.
Deciding I only had one course of action, I flattened my ears to my head, widened my eyes, and began to whimper quietly. To her credit, it did take Weiss a full minute of staring until she finally cracked, and hissed something about staying on the end of the bed before she settled back down to sleep.
Puppy-dog face for the win! I mentally congratulated myself as I turned in a small circle, then collapsed into the downy heaven of Weiss's bed.
Sadly, I was still cold, even with the fur coat I now possessed. For some reason, Blake insisted on keeping our room a temperature akin to a refrigerator at night, which was fine if you were curled up in a cocoon of blankets. Or if you were Yang, who always seemed to be on fire. But I was neither of these, which was made doubly apparent as I began to shake slightly.
Thinking of anything that could help, I could only decide on one solution. Praying she wouldn't kill me, I silently crept up to the head of Weiss's bed, and picking the side she wasn't facing, managed to burrow under the blankets. I tried to stay as far from her as possible, but that was made irrelevant, as a moment later she turned over.
Bracing myself for the coming storm, I was completely shocked as she simply wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her chest. That's when I realized she was still asleep. Which also made me realize that Weiss was a cuddle monster. Laughing silently to myself, I decided to just make the most of the situation. So I just closed my eyes, let out a tiny yawn, and snuggled closer to my new source of warmth.
XXXXX
The following morning came with a rather sudden awakening; a flash of light and a snapping noise roused me from sleep, but the shrieking of a certain girl caused me to bolt awake. Looking up, I saw Yang, camera in hand and grin on her face, standing right next to the bed. Turing my head the other way, I got a brief glimpse of a fuming Weiss right before I was falling to the floor as Weiss launched herself at my sister.
"Give me that camera!" The high-pitched scream had me putting my paws over my ears in an attempt to block it out.
"No way!" Yang laughed and simply held the device high in the air where Weiss had no chance of getting to it. "I now have irrefutable evidence that you and Ruby can actually get along."
"No you don't." Weiss growled, trying again to jump and grab the camera. "I was asleep when she curled up next to me."
No, you just cuddle anything near you during the night. But heaven forbid anyone knows that, right?
After untangling myself from the sheets and righting myself, I just observed the tussle, knowing full well from experience that Yang would never give up that camera.
"If you two are done, we have class in fifteen minutes." Blake commented as she finished adjusting her uniform.
Weiss glanced at our quiet teammate, then turned back to glare at Yang. "This isn't over."
Yang just scoffed at her. "Of course it isn't."
XXXXX
The rest of the day was rather uneventful for me, considering I was locked in a room by myself and couldn't do anything that required thumbs. This resulted in a lot of napping and pacing as I counted down the time until someone would come back from class.
Regrettably, Blake was the first one to get done with class for the day. She came into the room, dumped some books on her desk, grabbed some new ones and left. I swore I heard a muffled "I'm sorry" right before the door shut, but I couldn't be quite sure.
And it wasn't for another hour that anyone else showed up. This time when the door opened, it was Weiss that walked through, and after dropping her bag near her desk, she went and fell back into her bed.
I wonder which class was that rough. Creeping up to the edge of the bed, I attempted to check up on my occasionally frosty teammate.
"Just jump onto the bed." Her voice caused me to jump slightly. "I know how much you hate the floor."
Not wanting to seem unappreciative, and internally jumping for joy at the act of kindness, I did my best to jump onto the tall surface. Again I could only get my upper body onto the bed, but this time I began to fall backwards, not quite getting a good enough grip.
A moment later, a pair of hands grabbed my struggling form and placed me safely on the middle of the mattress. I looked up to see Weiss roll her eyes at me, but I swore there was a small, fond smile trying to break through.
"You know," Weiss began to speak and tentatively scratched behind my ears, "I always wanted a pet."
I huffed at her, but couldn't be too irritated at the comment, considering just how good the rubbing felt.
"No you simpleton, I was not calling you a pet." She chuckled lightly. The noise surprised me, it was so light and happy, so unlike the cold front she kept up all the time.
Geez, how tired is she? I wondered. Sadly, she pulled her hand back a moment later and turned her head to gaze at nothing.
"But my parents wouldn't let me get any pet. They weren't really animal people."
A flicker of pain across her face had me creeping forward to curl up in her lap, trying to give any comfort I could. I took it as a good sign that she didn't push me off, and a moment later she even began running her hands through my fur.
"I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm sharing." She mused as she continued to pet me.
Yes, but I'm not complaining. About any of this.
"I realize that I'm hard on you, but it's because I know that you can raise up and be better than half the students here. And maybe it's time that I actually supported you instead of challenged you." Weiss explained.
What brought this on? Why now? I lifted my head and met her icy blue gaze, hoping she'd understand that I was confused.
"One of my professors was talking about partner work today." Weiss began, obviously trying to further explain. "And it got me thinking. You're my partner, and I need to start treating you like it. You're my equal, not some kid that I need to boss around." She looked down and smiled. "Even if you make some pretty childish mistakes."
Hoping she wouldn't freak out on me, I gave her hand a small lick when it came near my face, the only way I could really thank her while I was stuck like this.
"Really, again?" She muttered and wiped the moisture on the blanket.
I just did the closet thing to laughing I could and snuggled into her, making myself comfortable.
"Little red dork." Weiss poked my side and scoffed, though I could tell the jibe held no malice.
She's really not so bad, once you get to know her. I internally pondered as I began to drift off. Especially when she's like this.
The sound of the door slamming into the wall caused me to jerk awake and glare at the person in the entryway. Of course it was none other than Yang, standing there with a grin. "Hello teammates!"
"Must you slam the door?" Weiss groaned and crossed her arms.
Completely ignoring the question, the blonde just glanced between Weiss and me, still curled up in her lap. "Of all times not to have my camera."
"Your sister wouldn't stop whining and barking, so I had to do something to shut her up." Weiss dismissed and removed me from her lap.
Well, so much for that bonding experience…
XXXXX
"My parents didn't even want me to come to Beacon." Weiss told me while scratching my stomach. "I think that's why the opportunity appealed to me so much."
It was Sunday night, and the two of us were alone in the room once more. Blake had avoided the room like the plague all weekend, never spending more than ten minutes here unless she was asleep. Yang was trying to be a good partner, and was now in the library with our mysterious teammate, doing her homework. Of course, Yang had saved all of her homework until Sunday night, so maybe it was Blake being the good teammate.
Weiss, of course, had already completed all of her homework, which just left the two of us to have one of our heart-to-heart sessions. Or really, Weiss talking and me just listening.
"I had never done something they outright opposed before. It was a thrill to just tell them I was coming here and that was final." Weiss smiled to herself as she told me this. The smile died a moment later, however. "I know they won't allow anything but me taking over the company after I graduate, though. No matter what I want."
You've already taken the first step in coming here. Just do what you want. Of course, my mental encouragement was pointless, but it still made me feel a bit better.
"I don't really know what I'm going to do." Weiss sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
I looked up to see a look of frustration on her face, eyebrows scrunched together and her lips pursed. A moment later her blue eyes opened and looked down at me.
For a second I was overwhelmed with how pretty she looked. Sure, everyone knew Weiss Schnee was gorgeous; but, seeing her sitting her, hair hanging freely, makeup wiped off, and dressed in her nightgown, she had never looked more beautiful to me. Maybe it was because she wasn't hiding behind anything right now, she was completely open.
"But anyway, I think that's enough sharing for tonight." Weiss tried to force a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Time for bed."
Moving me off of her lap, Weiss settled herself under the blankets, then lifted them up in invitation for me to curl up next to her. As soon as I stopped moving, she blew out the candle, and pulled me closer to her chest, knowing that it was going to happen during the course of the night anyway.
"Goodnight Ruby."
XXXXX
I woke up slowly the next morning, becoming aware of my surroundings at a sluggish pace. The first things I noticed were how soft the bed was, and how warm I was. Enjoying the comfort, I tightened my grip on the pillow I was sleeping on, snuggling closer into its warmth.
Of course, when the pillow gasped and began to move, I figured something was wrong. Opening my eyes, I was met with a wall of solid light blue. Confused, I sat up to see Weiss, staring up at me, a bright red blush covering her face.
"What?" I asked her, confused as to what was wrong. After all, I had been sleeping in her bed since Wednesday night.
Then I realized, I just spoke. I didn't bark, I didn't yip, I spoke. Real words. Real human words.
"Ruby, you're… um…" Weiss stuttered, moving her gaze away from me and to anywhere else.
"I'm human again." I breathed.
"You're also naked." Yang's voice called out from her bunk as she hung over the side.
"Naked?" I looked down to see that, yes indeed, I was not wearing a single article of clothing. "Eep!"
Rolling off of the bed, and pulling a blanket with me, I tried to cover myself up best I could as I was on the floor. Eventually I did get the blanket around my body, though it did nothing to cover the blush burning my cheeks.
"You decent down there, sis?" Yang called out, the laughter evident in her voice.
Instead of answering I just scrambled to find some clothing, and headed out the door to the bathroom.
"It's about time you got someone naked in your bed, eh, ice queen?" My sister's words floated through the door, followed by a loud thump and a couple rather colorful curses, courtesy of Yang.
It didn't take long for me to get on some clothes and head back to the room, thankfully not running into anyone along the way. I shuddered at the rumors that would have started.
As soon as I opened the door I was hit with the loud greetings of my team. "She has returned!" I looked over to see Yang, still sprawled out on the floor, and of course smiling widely.
"It's good to have you back to normal." Blake nodded at me before turning her attention back to getting ready.
"Honestly, it's good to be back in my own body." I agreed. "Do you know how terrible it is to not have any thumbs?" I held up the appendage in question as a point.
"I'll bet." Blake chuckled.
"You know," I looked over to see Weiss, apparently recovered from the incident earlier, "I never thought I'd actually say this, but I missed you."
"Aww, Weiss-"
"Surprisingly, being a puppy didn't make you any less of a dolt." She cut me off.
"Thanks." I muttered and moved to my desk to collect my bag and sling to over my shoulder.
I was suddenly overcome with the panic that now I was back to human, everything that happened as a wolf would be undone. That Weiss would go back to her icy self, and I wouldn't just get to hear her talk freely anymore.
A hand spun me around to see Weiss, a smirk on her face, staring up at me. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders a moment later shocking me into a paralysis.
"But you're my dolt." She muttered in my ear, squeezing me a bit tighter. "Now let's get to class."
With that, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and to class, and I couldn't help but grin like an idiot the whole way there.