A/N: Kept you waiting, huh?

Hey guys, Pencilboy here and I'm back with another chapter of RWBY: Homecoming.

Let me start by saying I am terribly sorry that I left you guys waiting for 3 months without an update. It was never my intent to leave you guys for so long, I got caught up with Christmas, family matters and college so I didn't have much time to write this story. But I now got some time back and I can continue with this story.

On another note, I have uploaded some drawings of the characters from this story on devianart. I can't give you guys the link to it here so just search for 'Pencilboy98' on devianart and should be able to find them. Hope you enjoy them.

Also, for those who are asking when the superhero stuff will come into play, don't worry, it will start to come into play very soon.

Anyway, enough of me talking. On with the chapter!

Penny cheerfully walked down the halls of the Schnee manor at a slow pace, admiring the decor of the house as she went by. She has only been in the lavish mansion for less than a day now, but she had been able to memorise the layout of the house in just a few hours. Winter had allowed her to stay in the Schnee manor and gave her access to the luxuries that came with it; She let her have her own room and even joined them for their family meals. Granted, she couldn't really eat anything that was given to her, but she appreciated the hospitality that she was receiving.

Once she reached her destination - Weiss' bedroom, the android gently knocked on the wooden door. "Weiss, I have come on behalf of your sister to inform you that dinner is ready."

Penny waited for Weiss to either come out of her room or to acknowledge her message, but there was no response from the other side.

"Weiss?" She asked again, a small bit of concern in her voice.

Still, no response came from the bedroom. Penny's worry steadily increased, she hadn't known Weiss for all that long, but her programming was urging her to barge right in there to ensure that her friend was safe. She opened the door very slowly before stepping into the room.

Weiss' bedroom was… a complete mess. The bed looked like it hadn't even been made, the wardrobe was wide open and had no clothes inside whatsoever, all of the drawers were pulled out from their cabinets and clothes were littered everywhere. Penny could only stare in confusion at the untidy mess that was once Weiss' bedroom. In a corner of the room, she could see the white-haired girl kneeling down in front of a pile of clothes and erratically moving them out of the way, her hair all messy and dishevelled.

"Where is it? Where is it?!" The frantic Heiress mumbled, flinging expensive looking clothes behind her.

Wondering what she was doing, Penny moved close to her friend who had failed to notice that she was not alone anymore. When she finally got close enough, she lightly tapped her shoulder. "Weiss?"

With no warning, Weiss let out a high pitched shriek as she fell back into the unorganised pile of clothes she was searching through. She tore away some clothes which were obscuring her eyes and looked directly at the somewhat startled robot. What were once eyes filled with fear were now filled with anger.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Penny asked politely, reaching her hand out to her.

The kind gesture was immediately smacked away by Weiss who proceeded to pick herself up off the floor but still keeping an angry glare on Penny. "No! No, I'm not okay! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I have built-in defibrillators." With no hesitation, Penny rubbed her hands together and a blue light appears on her palms as she stretched them out and moved closer to Weiss. "Clear!"

"No, no stop! It's just an expression!" Weiss shouted as she backed away from the electrically charged hands as far as she could.

The robot's eyes widened in realisation and halted her action, an audible "Oh" coming from her mouth. When the electricity had stopped, she withdraws her hands to behind her back. "Noted."

Weiss rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed grunt, as she strolled over to another part of the room, completely ignoring the redhead in her presence. It was tough to teach Penny how to blend in with humans when all the metaphors and expressions completely fly over her head. She was starting to think that agreeing to this was a bad idea and was considering giving Ruby a long, hard scolding for talking her into doing this. But still, she made a promise to Winter and she wasn't intending on breaking it.

"If you don't mind me asking, why is your room in such a messy condition?" Penny asked, taking a cautious step forward.

The Ice Queen glared back at her with furrowed brows before calming herself and sighed. "I lost something very important to me this morning and I'm searching my room top to bottom until I find it."

"Do you require my assistance? What does it look like?"

"Well it is a-" As Weiss was midway through turning to face her, a glimmer of metal from a nearby pile caught her eye. She immediately lunged for the pile and haphazardly flung them all away to reveal the source of the Shining."Aha! I finally found you!" She shouted with joy and relief. She took the item in her hands and proceeded to rise back up on to her two feet, turning around with the item held out in front of her for Penny to see.

The object of importance appeared to be a necklace, and the best way Penny could describe it was 'simple'. It wasn't adorned with sparkling diamonds or dazzling sapphires, it wasn't made of pure gold or platinum, it was just a small silver apple shaped pendant that hangs from a silver chain.

"Is that the important item?" She asked in confusion, pointing directly at the necklace.

"Yes, this necklace means a lot to me. I have only had it for about 3 years now, but it holds a lot of value to me. I practically wear it every day, except for a few occasions." Weiss explained as she wrapped the necklace around her neck, admiring it after she was finished. It was just a piece of jewellery, but whenever she wore it or looked at it, all the good times she spent with her friends came flooding in.

"What makes a simple necklace so important to you?" Penny's question made Weiss stare directly at her with furrowed brows. She jerked back in surprise before elaborating. "I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, but that doesn't look like the kind of jewellery someone like yourself would be wearing. It looks too plain and simple for someone of your wealth."

"It's not because of its design or its cost." The heiress stated, looking down at the pendant resting in the palm of her hand, sliding her thumb across the smooth surface. "This was given to me by someone that I've known for a long time, long enough that my life would be filled with misery and loneliness if they weren't around."

"And who is this person?"

Weiss was going to give a response that would force Penny to change the subject, but all that came out of her mouth was an incoherent mumble of words. Normally she wouldn't be so nervous or shy around people, but in recent years, her emotions have been more expressive than ever and everything felt quite foreign to her.

Her father was of the opinion that emotions make a person weak, engraved into her mind, "a Schnee never shows weakness" he used to tell her when she was little. During her early childhood, she had listened to her father's words and built imaginary walls to block out her emotions from the outside world, ensuring that they would never blind her actions and show that she was worthy of the Schnee name. In hindsight, it was one of her more idiotic decisions and one that she intends to rectify. Ever since she became friends with a group of misfit school children that her father - if he was still alive - would call "Insignificant pests that obstructs your goals", they have been slowly chipping away at her ice walls, allowing her feelings to leak through the cracks and express themselves.

And at the moment, her emotions were making her regret bringing up the importance of the necklace. It wasn't because how she received it was personal, it was just embarrassing to talk about. Not depressing or traumatising, just embarrassing in her eyes. But she was a Schnee, and she wasn't going to let a small bout of humility bring her down.

After inhaling a deep breath, Weiss finally gave a response. "It's… Ruby."

The alabaster-haired girl moved her eyes away from the necklace for the first time in a while, her ice blue meeting with Penny's surprised neon green.

"You hold that necklace so close to your heart... because of Ruby?" She asked hesitantly, tilting her head in confusion.

"I guess you can say that." Weiss shrugged. "I know that it's not the most expensive thing that I own, nor is it the most extravagant looking, but that's what I like about it. It's just plain and simple, but it gives off more personality and depth than any pearl necklace could ever achieve, kinda like a certain dolt I know."

It was true, the sole reason she held on to the small neck decoration was not only because it was a gift from Ruby, but because it reminded Weiss how much the cookie lover genuinely cared for her. While on the surface, Ruby can appear childish, clumsy, impulsive and - from time to time - infuriating, underneath there lies a compassionate and surprisingly mature individual that would awaken when the moment called for it. That side of Ruby would help Weiss push through some of her more stressful moments, mostly when the problem was her family or more recently, her history of loneliness. She may not have asked for a friend like Ruby at first, but she was entirely grateful for the girl's presence in her life.

"You care for Ruby that much?" Penny's question came out more like a statement rather than an actual question, almost like she already knew the answer.

Breaking from the admiration of her necklace, Weiss gave a quick glare at the freckled girl before turning her back on her, hiding the small blush creeping up her neck. "O-of course I do! She's my friend, and friends look out from one another."

Her retort didn't dissuade the robot girl from continuing further. "Really? Because from what I have studied during our day around Vale yesterday and my time in your home, you seem to react overwhelmingly positive whenever Ruby is mentioned. It's Almost like you see her as more than a friend."

"I don't care what you have witnessed or learned, there is no way in hell that Ruby and I are a couple," Weiss said through gritted teeth, her anger and annoyance rising as she spoke.

"But-"

"Enough, Penny!" Weiss finally snapped back as she turned in the direction of Penny once again, their faces mere inches away from each other. She has had enough of her game of 20 questions, if she wanted to know, she would have to wait patiently like any other normal person. Sure, she wasn't normal and is only one day old… maybe? But that does not excuse her for her behaviour. If she wants to be human, she will have to learn it the hard way.

After an unintentional stare down between a shocked and confused Penny and an irritated and annoyed Weiss, the white-haired girl straightened her posture and composed herself. "I apologise for the sudden outburst, but this is where I draw the line. There's nothing special about me and Ruby, we are just friends and nothing more."

At first, Penny pondered for a moment, her face showing a bit of disappointment but it quickly changed to a more accepting expression. "Understood."

Weiss let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, glad that Penny had decided to drop the topic altogether. It seems that her method of teaching had worked. With that subject thankfully brushed aside, she could now ask her something more important.

"Now, care to explain why you came to me in the first place?" She asked, her tone sound a bit harsher than she liked.

The question manages to catch the android off guard, her eyes blinking in surprise. "Oh, of course. I was sent by your sister to fetch you for dinner."

"It's dinner time already?" She looked over at her wall clock to discover the time was 5:00 pm. Time sure does fly when you're wrecking your room to find something you treasure more than anything. "Tell her I'll be there in a moment."

"As you wish, Weiss." Penny gave a salute before exiting the room and closing the door behind her, leaving Weiss alone in her room once again.

With nothing but the mess of her room surrounding her, Weiss walked over to her mirror and began to clean her messy hair with a brush she picked up off the floor along the way. Her room needed to be cleaned up, but that could wait, the only thing that matters right now is her appearance. She will get to it after dinner; she didn't want to keep Winter waiting any longer than she had to.

As she continued to fix her hair, she thought back to what Penny had said about her and Ruby's friendship and simply snorted.

'Me and Ruby in a relationship. That is the single most stupidest thing I ever heard.' She thought, rolling her eyes at the mere idea of her and Ruby together. 'I haven't had that much experience in dating, but I know for a fact that that clumsy, hyperactive, cute, impulsive dolt is not the kind of person I would date.'

A smile that was a mixture of amusement and smugness found its way onto the heiress' face, she may have sounded cruel in her head, but it was just a fact: a relationship between her and Ruby was such a silly concept that it made her smile in amusement. That smile was wiped completely from her face when what she had just said finally began to sink in.

'Wait… did I just call her cute?!'

The light off Ruby's computer monitor was the only source of light in her bedroom that night, the screen displaying multiple images of weapons; mostly rifles. The young girl was scribbling down on her sketchpad, occasionally glancing at the computer screen before returning to her drawing.

Smiling in success, she straightens herself in her seat, puts down her pencil and lifts up her sketchpad. The page displayed a drawing of a red and black scythe with several attachments to it like an aiming scope and an ammo clip connected to the shaft. All Ruby can do was stare at her sketch with pride. This was her baby; Crescent Rose she called it. A weapon that was designed to combine the long reaching range and sharpened blade of a scythe with the power and range of high calibre sniper rifle. She spent many weeks sketching and drawing multiple different concepts for her idea, none of which she felt was truly right for her vision, but now she believed that she has finally found a design for the weapon that she was satisfied with. It would be a dream come true if she were able to bring her creation to life, but that was all it will ever be; a dream.

"Someday girl. Someday." She whispers softly as she places the drawing back on the worktop.

"And you say Yang was weird for treating her bike like a person." Ruby looks back over her chair and towards the door to see her mother dressed in a house robe, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed and a motherly smile on her face.

The young girl looks surprised at first but soon returns her own smile. "That's different, Mom. I don't flat out hug my belongings."

"That's because you have nothing to hug." Summer pointed out as she moves closer to her daughter.

"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed loudly. The two identical female's laughed together at their playful banter, with the youngest one being the loudest between them. It was eerily creepy that Ruby had a lot in common with her mother. Same hair, same eyes, even the same personality, although Summer was nowhere near as childish and a lot more mature than her daughter. However, their similarities were a sign of the strong bond that was shared between mother and daughter.

It wasn't until Ruby's laughter transitioned to a loud yawn that Summer's parental instincts kicked in. "Alright, I think it's time for someone to call it a night."

"But Mommmm..." Ruby groaned but was immediately silenced by her mother.

"No buts young lady. You have school tomorrow, and I would rather not have my daughter fall asleep in the middle of class… Again." Ruby made a very visible pout. Her occasional classroom naps were not something she wanted to be constantly reminded of. "Now come on, I'll tuck you in."

With another groan, Ruby reluctantly agreed and switched off her computer and climbed into her bed. Soon after, her mother kneeled down to her level, brought the covers up to her chin and tucked the sheet gently around her. Some fifteen-year-olds would find being tucked into bed by their parents unnecessary and utterly embarrassing, not Ruby, however.

"There you go. All nice and warm. Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?" Summer suggested, gesturing to the small bookshelf at the other end of the room.

"I'm fifteen Mom. I think I can fall asleep without the help of a children's book." The young girl looked over at the bookshelf, recognizing every book that was housed in it before returning to her mother. "Maybe another night."

Ruby watched as her mother smiled and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Ruby." She patted her head before standing back and taking her leave.

But as Ruby watched her mother walking towards the light of the opened door, she couldn't help but think about the conversation she had with Penny the other day. Finding someone to help with her love life was tough, she spent the remainder of yesterday afternoon thinking of who could provide her with decent love advice, only to reject every option.

She needed to find her saviour soon, the anticipation of knowing if she truly loved Weiss was practically killing her. Since their time at Signal was coming to a close, now would be the perfect time to start dating. But she needed to be a hundred percent sure that this wasn't some childhood crush, but a pure long-lasting affection for the heiress and she needed someone to show her the truth.

And that's when it clicked. The 'love expert' she was seeking was walking away from her.

"Mom?" Ruby said sheepishly, watching her mother stop in the doorway and turn back around.

"Yes, sweetie?" She asked.

A single breath escaped from the young girl. "C-can I ask you something very important?"

"Of course you can." Summer walked over to her daughter's bedside, looking down at the unexpectedly nervous girl. "What do you want to ask?"

Ruby's eyes wandered to different parts of her room, her mind building the question in her head. She gulped hard and spoke.

"How did you know that you were in love with dad?"

"Oh, Ruby, why do you want to know something like that?" Her mother's tone wasn't scolding or criticising, it was more of confusion and concern.

Ruby hesitated for a moment before sighing. "All of my friends seem to have found their special someone who they love with all their heart. Yang has Blake, Jaune has Pyrrha, I even think Ren and Nora are together now." She giggled and softly smiled at her assumption, but it soon faded into a somewhat depressing frown. "But for me? I got no one. I haven't found my special someone, and I feel so lonely without them. I want to find them, but how will I know that the next person I meet will be the one. I'm a lot like you mom, so I thought if I know how you and dad fell in love, I could figure out how to find my love."

With the last few sentences, Ruby hung her head down in shame, her fingers fidgeting with the ends of her bed sheet. Most of what she said was a lie; the fact of her friend's relationships and her trouble understanding love were true, but not knowing her soulmate and being lonely were little porkies. Honestly, she felt too scared to tell anyone of her attraction to her best friend. Sure, her parents approved of Yang dating Blake, but this was different. Even if she did confess to Weiss that she liked her, She knew it would never happen.

She wasn't an heiress to a majorly successful company, she wasn't a rising star athlete like Pyrrha, she wasn't a daughter to the mayor of Vale, she wasn't a tall and beautiful bombshell like her sister.

She was Ruby Rose; a short, unattractive weakling who lives in an average home with normal parents and nothing special about her. Why would anyone - let alone Weiss Schnee - love her?

This was stupid, why was she wasting her time with this? She was too young for this lovey-dovey stuff, right? Even if this topic was perfectly reasonable for someone of her age to talk about, she wouldn't get answers from it anyway. Most likely, her mother will brush it off for now and explain it to her when she is older. It was the same phrase that every parent uses to their child, but that was what she expected.

What she didn't expect was to feel her mother's hand caressing her cheek slowly and gently. Meeting her mother's eyes, she could see that they were filled with a proud and joyful gaze. "Your growing up so fast."

Her words left Ruby surprised, a small grin returning to her face. "Heh, what can I say? I'm a fast learner." She jests. Her mother chuckled lightly, taking a seat at her bedside.

"Right, where to begin." Summer ponders as she playfully patted her knees like a drum for a moment. "Well, I think you already know this, but I wasn't your father's first wife."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, Yang's mom was."

"Correct." Summer shifted slightly to a more comfortable position. "I don't want to go too deep into specifics, but all you need to know about her was that she loved your father very much, gave birth to his child and a few weeks later, she went up and left him."

"Do you know why?"

An answer didn't immediately come from Summer as she stared off into the distance, a hint of anger and regret in her eyes. "No, but that's not important right now. What is important is that her departure left your father heartbroken. He was so lost in grief that he couldn't take up the responsibility of raising Yang by himself, so I offered to become Yang's stepmother. At first, it was just me popping in whenever Tai had to go to work at the gym, then I was moving in to be closer to them, and then it became a facade to be Yang's mother. I was only doing it because I was looking out for a friend, but as the months went by, it became more than a desire to help a friend.

"Your father was handsome, brave, clumsy and always told terrible jokes, things that I liked about him. But it took his wife abandoning him and his daughter for his more sensitive side to show, the thing that I love about him. We became closer, started going on dates, passionately kissing one another, sleeping in the same bed. Eventually, he finally found the courage to purpose to me and asked me if I would be his new wife. And here I am, 16 years later and I have a small but brilliant family that I wouldn't change for the world."

Ruby didn't know what to feel about this. She always knew about Yang's mom and her disappearance, but she never knew the damage it caused to her family. She always saw her father as a strong individual, not a man who could be broken so much that he lets his own grief consume him. She felt saddened for his loss, but was glad that he found love in her mother, it sounded like he really needed her. But still...

"I don't understand." was her response. A raised eyebrow and a curious 'hmm' from Summer encouraged her to continue. "You said that you and dad love each other so much, but it took you two several years to discover it. So why didn't you fall in love with him as soon as you first met him?"

"Love is like a complicated machine Ruby; you think you understand how it works, you think you can maintain it until the universe decides to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing and forces you to double check the instructions." Summer chuckled softly. A small giggle came from her daughter as she continued to speak. "What I'm trying to say is that you can't find your love just yet because it's hiding from you, like a test, to prove if you love them as much as they do. They could be in another continent or live across the street, they could be a complete stranger to you or they can be someone you've known for your whole life. You really don't know until you start looking. So just keep looking my little rose petal, and you'll find the spark to your love."

The confidence and honesty in her mother's voice made her point clear. Love isn't easily found. You have to work for it, get elbows deep and give it your all, only then will you find what you are missing and be truly happy. It's a long and challenging process that requires a lot of determination to achieve your reward. Thankfully, determination was the one thing that Ruby has plenty of.

"Thanks, Mom." She said, now understanding everything. If she wasn't already tucked in bed, she would sit up and hug her mother.

"No need to thank me, sweetie. Just doing what a mother is supposed to do." Summer stated, standing up from the bed. "Now get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Ruby watched her mother walk to the bedroom door. Before she left, she spoke to her one last time. "Goodnight mom."

The older crimsonette stopped at the door once again and smiled over her shoulder. "Goodnight sweetie." And with that, Summer switched off the bedroom light and took her leave.

With the darkness surrounding her, Ruby let her head relax against the pillow. Thanks to her mom, she now knows the truth. It took two days of thinking, an emotional talk about loneliness, a day out with her best friend, and a discussion on hidden love with her mother, but she has confirmed her suspicions. With the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to her, she closes her eyes and smiles.

"I'm in love with Weiss." She whispered to herself as she drifted off into a blissful sleep.

Weiss allowed her body to collapse onto her bed, the task of having to clean the mess she made during her necklace search and rescue mission leaving her exhausted. It was her fault that she lost it, to begin with, so she probably deserved it. What she didn't deserve was to have her relationship with Ruby be questioned by a robot who has no regards for personal privacy.

"Stupid Penny and her stupid assumptions." She grumbles to herself. "What does she know about romance? nothing! That's what."

Tossing onto her side, she looks out her window and observes the clear starry night, calming her nerves. that conversation made her do something she never thought she could.

She called Ruby cute. She called Ruby cute.

She has called the bouncy crimsonette many things in the time she has been friends with her. A dunce, clumsy, hyperactive, friendly, naive, even adorable at one point, but never did she call her cute! So why would she call her that now? What had changed over the years? Maybe it was her? She had built her impenetrable walls of ice around her feelings to protect herself, to never let anyone see how vulnerable she truly was. Did she open her walls too much and let her feelings run loose? No, that wasn't it. It was Ruby who made her feel so visible and she knew how she was able to.

Ruby didn't just chip at her ice walls; she completely shatters them.

But who could blame her? The girl was clearly born with the intent of being the cutest living being in existence. Her short, red-tipped hair looked soft and smooth to the touch which helps frames her face perfectly along with highlighting her child-like features, like her cute little button nose, her great big goofy smile that would lift anyone spirits and her voice that left a fluttering feeling in her chest every time she heard it.

Realising what she was doing, she shook her head and snapped herself out of her daydream. "No. Stop your deranged fantasies, Weiss. Like you said, Ruby is just your friend."

In an effort to suppress her thoughts of Ruby, Weiss pushed the dolt's face to the back of her head, thinking of anything that doesn't involve her… and immediately started daydreaming about another part of Ruby; her body.

In her own opinion, Ruby was a finely shaped young girl. Not only was she a few inches taller than her, Her assets were far more developed than Weiss', despite her being two whole years older than the crimsonette. It never really bothered her though, it only enhanced the girl's features even more, which was a plus in her book.

Whenever the two were near each other, Weiss could smell the scent of roses and strawberries emanating from the young girl; a clear indication of what shampoo she uses. The aroma was pleasing to the heiress' nose, it took her to a place that she could only describe as heavenly, a place that only appeared when Ruby was around, especially when she wraps her arms around her waist in a warm embrace. She would never admit it, she wished Ruby would hold her for as long as she - oh god damn it!

"Stop thinking about Her! You're a Schnee! You shouldn't be imagining your best friend like that. Just block her out." Weiss shouted as she flopped back onto her back and stared right at the ceiling. This was getting out of hand, but she couldn't stop herself from focusing on Ruby's most defining feature.

Her eyes. She didn't have the average looking blues and greens of any ordinary person or the warm, blazing purple of her sisters. No. She was born with eyes of the purest silver, a colour that sparkled in light or dark. A pair of silver orbs filled with innocent and purity that were so adorable, it's got to be a crime. Weiss has never met anyone else who shares the elusive trait, the only exception being Ruby's mom, but even then, there was something more endearing in Ruby's eyes, some invisible force that was pulling the heiress towards her. She could imagine locking their eyes together, both filled with affection, it made her feel so… so...

"WHY WON'T SHE LEAVE MY MIND?!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs, grasping her head in frustration. "There is nothing special between us! There never will be! I DO NOT LOVE… love… love…"

The heiress repeated the word over and over like a mantra, her anger being replaced with confusion. Love was the only emotion that she didn't understand, she never had a chance to delve deep into it, the importance of the family business and school overtaking her personal matters. She has bear witness to the love between Jaune and Pyrrha along with Yang and Blake's relationship as well, but she never delved into the subject until now.

It wasn't until her thirty-fifth time saying it that the truth came crashing down on her, her eyes widening in shock and realisation. How could she be so blind to the signs she was exhibiting? The denial, the embarrassment, the frustration, the fantasies, the desire to be in her arms, all of it were a clear indication of one thing.

She was in love with Ruby Rose.

A/N: There we go, another chapter is done. I feel like this chapter may not be worth the wait, but that's for you guys to decide.

So Ruby and Weiss finally understand their love for one another, but how will they handle this new found discovery? We'll just have to wait and see.

That's all from me. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think.

See you guys next chapter. Bye!