Chapter 24

"How've things been, Ruby?

"Oh, you know… They're fine. Kind of miss my friends back at Signal. Wondering how Dad and Uncle Qrow have been. Still trying to come up with a plan to deal with Torchwick and the White Fang. Practicing with Crescent Rose. Just the normal stuff, really."

"Oh." Weiss hesitated, unsure if she should press on. In the end, she decided she had to. "It's just that you seem kind of, well, not okay."

"Psshhsst! Nah. I'm totally fine. Nothing wrong at all!"

"Ruby, no matter what happens, I'm still your partner. Your friend. And no matter what, I'll always be here for you."

"I know, Weiss. You're a good person, I can feel it. I've been able to feel it for a while now… Sure, things were a bit rocky for us at the beginning, but I always thought that you and I were going to become BFFs."

"Speaking of, it seems like Yang and Blake have been getting even closer lately."

"Yeah." Ruby stated dejectedly.

"That's good for them, right?" Weiss tried again.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, we should support whatever makes them happy, right?"

"Okay, Ruby, seriously, what is wrong? I know that you're not exactly enthusiastic about Neo and me dating. And now, Blake and Yang seem to have a thing going on. I just want to make sure that you know that we're all still here for you."

Without a word, Weiss took Ruby's hand and they walked in silence for a little while. The two girls strode into the dining hall, side by side, and began picking out their food, but still, Ruby didn't let go. It wasn't until they took their normal seats that Ruby finally released her partner's hand.

"Thanks Weiss."

"For what?"

"Being here for me. Letting me know that you're here for me. For being my partner."

"I want you to know that I'm sorry about, well, not coming to terms with my feelings or who I am sooner; the fact that I hurt you because of it."

"Weiss! You didn't hurt me. I'm strong; I drink milk!"

"I know. You really are, Ruby. Even if I didn't hurt you, at the very least, I feel like I disappointed you." Weiss absently looked around the room as she tried to form her next statement as carefully as possible. "For so long, it was just me and Winter. She did everything she could to try to mold me into the perfect Schnee daughter she felt she couldn't be. To ensure that I was the perfect little heiress everyone expected me to be. You're my first real friend, Ruby… I didn't understand my feelings, thought I was confused. I didn't know what it was like to have a friend, so, while I was falling in love, I just thought that was what friendship was like. Then my feelings grew stronger, I thought they weren't completely appropriate ~ you know how Winter tried to convince me that feeling this way about another girl was so wrong ~ and I worried what you, and to a lesser extent, the others, would think if I acted on something that was so wrong."

Weiss wrapped her left arm around Ruby and rested her head on the girl's shoulder. "You'll always be my best friend, my partner, and my first crush. But more importantly, you'll always be the inspiring leader of our team who ensures we're all happy and striving to be the best we can be." She gave the girl a chaste kiss on the cheek before she turned her attention to the pile of food in front of her and begged the universe that it would satiate her better than that evening's noodles did.

"And you guys say I'm the dork on the team." Ruby teased.

"Don't be a pest! I'm trying to bond with you!"

"Looks more like you're about to bond with your food."

Weiss pushed away from her leader and booped Ruby on the nose before she returned her attention to the plate in front of her.

Compared to the past week, the two were suddenly quite relaxed in each others' company. After a few minutes of devouring their food, they slipped back into their pre-Neo status quo: Ruby babbling away about everything that she thought of as soon as it popped into her head, while Weiss pretended to be utterly disinterested, but secretly hung on Ruby's every word.

As Ruby chattered away about some new modifications she saw for the Mech suits they fought against, Weiss took in the girl and slipped into her own thoughts. This adorable little dolt! No matter what happens, she'll always be there for me, for all of us, and have our backs. I don't know what I ever did to deserve such unquestioning loyalty but, if someone as kind and innocent as Ruby thinks I do, who am I to question?

After some time, they decided that they should return to their dorm and run through their evening routines. The pair stopped by the counter on their way out to pick up a couple pieces of fruit for their teammates and began their trip back to the dorm.

As they stepped out of the cafeteria, Weiss pulled Ruby into a long hug and kissed the girl on the forehead. "I love you, Ruby." She didn't know why she said it, only that it felt right. She felt something stronger for this girl than she ever had for anyone else. One of the only people that would be there for her, no matter what. She would never ask for anything nor would she make any unrealistic demands. She was just being, as Ruby would say, her BFF.