It was Weiss' tenth birthday when her whole world came crashing down.
When Father came home late for their dinner reservations, Mama sent Weiss straight to her room. They hadn't stopped screaming at each other since. She couldn't hear what they were saying in her room, but whatever it was about made them both forget about her birthday dinner. She abandoned her birthday dress on the dresser, changed into her pyjamas, and curled into bed.
Whitley wandered into her room at some point, clutching his teddy bear with tears rolling down his flushed cheeks. She beckoned him inside, hiding them both beneath her covers.
Winter used to shelter her like this whenever Mama and Father got angry with each other. They'd stay beneath the covers where Winter recited all Weiss' favourite fairytales until the Manor went silent. Now, Winter hardly left her room unless she had to. Mama said it was normal teenage behaviour, but all that meant was that it was Weiss' turn to be a strong older sister.
"You can hug me. It's okay, he won't see," she whispered, knowing Whitley recently endured a long lecture from Father about acting like a proper man.
Her brother hesitated before wrapping his tiny arms around her. Weiss couldn't think of any fun fairytales to distract him from the muffled curses and screams, so she hummed a random lullaby. He was too old for lullabies according to Father, but it didn't matter right now. His tremors slowly calmed with each song.
"Why are they fighting?" Whitley whimpered.
"I don't know." She kissed him on top of his head. "Close your eyes and sleep for a bit. I'll let you know when they stop."
They didn't stop for hours. Even when twilight bruised the sky, Weiss still heard them screaming at each other. She didn't have the heart to wake her brother up when his belly rumbled with hunger.
Father had asked her if she wanted to go anywhere for her birthday this year. Weiss wanted to visit the Mine, but she thought it'd be too suspicious if she wanted to spend the day at his workplace.
She regretted not taking the risk. At least there, she had someone nice to spend her birthday with.
"I hope I see you this year," she whispered to no one in particular. "That's all I want for my birthday. I want my best friend."
She squeezed her eyes shut and wished as hard as she could to see Adam soon.
Her wish never came true.
Nothing was the same after that night. There were no more family dinners, no more weekly playdates with Lavender; no more girls' nights with Mama and Winter. Nothing.
Whitley was forbidden from playing with any of his toys outside designated free time after dinner. He laughed only when she was there to play with him, and that was on his good days. She'd lost track of how many nights she sat by his bedside, reciting his favourite fairy tale over and over until he fell asleep
When she wasn't spending time with her brother, Weiss spent every waking hour learning about the family business. Studying was different without Mama there to help her. Father expected everything Weiss did to be perfect without question.
"A Schnee cannot afford to make mistakes," Father scolded her when she failed to recite one of her readings perfectly. "Don't expect to stay in this family if you can't live up to our name."
Weiss still remembered the burning in her cheek after the lengthy lecture.
She poured everything into her studies, staying up late to go above and beyond Father's expectations. Pride welled in her chest whenever she proved herself worthy to Father. Every nod of approval she earned from him pushed her harder to understand their business inside and out.
Weiss had once heard him bragging about her to his colleagues on the phone. That night, she made sure to do extra readings to impress him.
Her genuine interest in the work done by the SDC made the process easier. She consumed books upon books detailing the good work their company did for Remnant. She had a particular interest in her ancestors' documents on rehabilitating the Faunus to civil society.
Weiss never knew how dangerous the Faunus were before Human contact. At first, she had a hard time believing all the reports about how violent they were. After all, Adam was a Faunus, and he was nothing like that. But the more she searched for answers, the more it began to click in her head.
His behaviour was the product of her ancestors' hard work. He wouldn't know how to be so polite if his kind wasn't educated by leaders like her ancestors. Learning how they helped Faunus communities made her proud to call herself a Schnee.
But she wasn't always able to keep up with Father's escalating expectations. She dreaded the days when she mixed up information or forgot a small detail from her reports. Even a single mistake made Father forget all the hard work she'd put in beforehand. It tainted her entire image.
It made her a stain on the family.
She didn't dare try to complain, though. Not once.
Not when Mama was no longer there to protect her from the full extent of Father's wrath.
Weiss saw Lavender for the last time that year. Her cousin held herself up like she owned all of Atlas. Her grotesquely tall stilettos exasperated her towering figure. Her cheekbones were more prominent than when she was little, giving her pale face a sharp edge like Winter.
Even as a teenager, Lavender flaunted obnoxiously puffy sleeves that made her look like a clown. A neon pink designer handbag swung on her forearm. Delicate floral patterns decorated her handbag and the edges of her skirt.
Weiss made a mental note to get rid of all clothes that had floral patterns. The last thing she wanted was to have the same taste in Altesian fashion as Lavender.
Father greeted Lavender's family with a hearty laugh. Shivers crawled down her spine when he fastened his hand on her shoulder - the very hand that hit her so hard the previous night she dry heaved over the toilet for hours.
Father's hand stuck to her back even as they walked Uncle to the Music Room. The only thing keeping her from throwing up was having Winter walk right beside her. Whitley was squished between them, clinging to their hands.
"Why don't we leave the kids to play for a bit?" Uncle said at one point. "I would love to have a more sophisticated conversation with you and your eldest."
"I'm sure they're following along fine." Father slapped her back. Weiss' heart rate skyrocketed, bracing to meet the back side of his hand.
"Father is correct. I find the topic most interesting." Weiss widened her smile. She had no clue what the hell they were talking about.
"It's fine, Jacques. I'm sure my daughter would like to catch up with her cousin after such a long time apart."
Weiss almost forgot to curtsy when Father dismissed them. She led Lavender back to Whitley's room, making up a poor excuse that she promised Whitley they would play that evening. At least then she had an excuse to ignore Lavender.
Luckily, Whitley was in a perfectly good mood to play. He dug out a thick knight-themed colouring book and art supplies, scattering dozens of crayons on the ground. Weiss volunteered to help fill in the background while he coloured the characters. Lavender didn't bother to entertain Whitley, choosing instead to voice her opinion of his toys and room decorations.
"Ignore her," Weiss whispered to him when Lavender made fun of his prized teddy bear collection. "She's just jealous you have the best teddy bears in all of Atlas."
Whitley snickered and nodded.
"Jealous?" Lavender scoffed. "Why would I be jealous of a bunch of rags? My father would never buy me this garbage to play with."
"Well, your father isn't the president of the SDC, now is he?"
Weiss didn't flinch back when Lavender loomed over her with fists curled by her side. After experiencing how bad Father's temper could get, nothing scared her anymore.
"At least my father lets me leave the house. Unlike you, Weissy, I've had the opportunity to make friends with some of the richest heirs in Atlas."
"I have a friend too."
"Imaginary voices in your head don't count."
Adam wasn't imaginary. He was ten times the person Lavender could ever be. Weiss bit back her bitter remark and forced herself to continue colouring.
"It's no wonder your father never lets you leave the house. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You're an embarrassment to the Schnee family."
Weiss gritted her teeth and focused all her efforts on colouring in the leaves on the page.
"Are you sure you're a real Schnee? Last I checked, Schnees are famous for our inherited Semblance. Isn't it odd that you still haven't unlocked it? I guess that would explain why you're so incompetent at everything."
The crayon in her hand snapped in half. Weiss muttered a quick apology to Whitley and continued colouring with the broken half.
"Don't get me started on your awful taste in fashion. White is such an outdated colour, this year royal blue—"
"Stop making fun of my sister!" Whitley's outburst made the room go dangerously still.
The last time Weiss had ever heard Whitley yell at someone was when he saw Father slapping Weiss for the first time. He never dared to make the same mistake again, at least with Father.
"No one asked you, little boy." Lavender snatched his colouring book, holding it up by the edge like it was a dead animal. "I wonder how fast this garbage will burn in the fireplace."
"Hey, give that back!" Weiss demanded.
Weiss jumped up to her feet, trying to take the book back, but Lavender was too tall for her to reach it. Frustrated, she tried pushing Lavender over, which proved to be a big mistake. Lavender shoved Weiss hard in the stomach. The pain from last night's punishment roared to life, knocking all the air out of her lungs.
She collapsed onto the floor, groaning with her arm cradling her stomach.
Weiss was vaguely aware of Whitley shielding her while Lavender stared down at her with an unreadable expression. The colouring book lay forgotten by her feet.
Lavender stormed toward her, shoving Whitley aside, and pulled one of Weiss' arms out.
"Let her go!" Whitley separated the two of them with a mighty shove, but it was too late. Lavender managed to pull Weiss' sleeve up to reveal the dozens of purple and green blotches staining her arm.
Weiss furiously wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and sat up.
She was pathetic. Father would punish her if he saw how much she was embarrassing herself.
Even with her eyes glued to the floor, she felt Lavender staring at her like she was some animal at a zoo. Whitley stepped between her and Lavender again, but not even that would be able to shield her from the insults Lavender was going to throw at her.
"Do you know how to cover them up?"
"W-what?" Weiss looked up at her cousin in surprise. There was no smirk on Lavender's face. It was the most serious Weiss had ever seen her.
Lavender stepped forward, pausing when Whitley looked ready to tackle her.
"You'll need to know how to cover them up when you see guests. Not that you see them much anyway." Lavender dug around in her purse and laid out an assortment of makeup products on the floor. "Do you want to learn how to hide them? It might come in handy if he bruises your face next."
"W-why are you helping me?"
"Mother says girls like us need to help each other out," Lavender spoke to the floor. "I'm pretty much an expert at covering up bruises now. Do you want me to teach you or not?"
Weiss wasn't sure why she accepted Lavender's offer. Her cousin has been awful to her for as long as she could remember. But at that moment, none of it mattered. Knowing Lavender understood what she was going through made her feel less alone.
Lavender spoke to Weiss slowly, taking her time to show Weiss all the different techniques to conceal bruises. She never scolded her once. Not even when Weiss experimented with some of the makeup products and failed.
"I'm sorry," Lavender had said at one point. "I didn't know your father did the same thing. I always thought…never mind."
"It's okay," Weiss murmured. "I'm sorry too."
"For what?"
"I don't know," she said. It felt right to apologise to her.
After teaching Weiss everything she knew about concealing injuries, Lavender apologised to Whitley before isolating herself in the far corner of the room. She didn't comment on Whitely's stuffed animal collection anymore.
Weiss resumed colouring with her brother as if nothing had ever happened. She couldn't help but look at Lavender every so often. Weiss wasn't sure if she should invite her to colour with them or ask what Lavender's father did when he was upset. When she worked up the courage to speak up, the words withered on the tip of her tongue.
She snapped her mouth shut and pretended nothing between them had changed. It was easier that way anyway.
When Lavender bid her goodbye that evening, Weiss was overwhelmed with a wrenching pain in her chest. For the first time ever, Weiss wished they had more time together. The Manor felt so much bigger without Lavender there.
Weiss was twelve when Father took her back to the Mine to study the administration side of things. The news brought a genuine smile to her face for the first time in years. The only downside was that Uncle would be joining them on the trip.
Whitley was supposed to come along had it not been for a nasty cold confining him in bed. Weiss wasn't a fan of being at the Mine with only Father and Uncle to keep her company, but if it meant she could see Adam again, it would be worth it.
It was late afternoon when they arrived. After ordering their servants to deliver their luggage to the lodge, Father led them into the Mine to show Uncle its current condition. Weiss held back a grin at the familiar sight of the cave.
"Ah, I see the Mine is still in perfect condition." Uncle beamed. "Good, good. I was worried time would've done a number on the place."
"We may need to consider investing in other mines. This one is beginning to run dry," Father said.
Father led them down a particularly steep tunnel. Weiss' heart skipped a beat when they passed several Faunus employees hard at work. She scanned over their faces but couldn't see anyone who looked like Adam.
What did catch her eye was the metal chains locked around their ankles. The thought of Adam being shackled like a criminal left her chest heavy.
"Pay close attention, Weiss," Father instructed. "These are our most troublesome workers. They'll need all the guidance you can give to ensure the job gets done properly."
"Yes, Father."
They were likely the Feral Faunus. According to her textbooks, some Faunus were prone to their animalistic instincts despite efforts at rehabilitation. It was likely protocol to keep them from hurting themselves or others.
The tunnel they followed led to an open area where dozens of workers and guards were stationed. Work lights cast a blinding white glow in the icy cavern. The chamber was massive. Weiss estimated it to be a little bigger than the Manor's courtyard. Giant Dust Crystals bulged from almost every corner and stone column. Dozens of pick axes clawed into the stone walls, sending sharp rhythmic clangs throughout the space.
"This, Weiss, is the core of the Mine." Father gestured to the grand space. "It's where we harvest the finest Dust Crystals."
"It's quite impressive." Uncle nodded in approval. "I'm surprised you got so many of these animals under control."
"Yes. The rehabilitation program was difficult." Father looked down at her. "Take a look around and study how each unit is organised. I need to discuss some things with your uncle in private. Call the guards if you need anything."
"Yes, Father." She curtsied before splitting off from them.
It took mere minutes for the cold to completely settle into her bones. Weiss stopped paying attention to the workers after she lost all feeling in her toes.
Weiss rubbed her hands together and breathed hot air into her palms. Her attempts at staying warm somehow made the cold dig deeper. Weiss was so preoccupied with staying warm she didn't see the person crossing her path and walked right into them. She instinctively grabbed onto the person's arm before they could topple over.
"Oh, I'm sorry—" She gasped when she found herself face to face with Adam.
His eyes widened in surprise. He was taller now, reaching to the bridge of her nose. He still wore brown work coveralls, and the metal ring meant to track his health remained around his neck.
What stood out was how skinny he looked now – how bony his arm felt in her hand. Was the metal ring properly tracking his health? He looked like he hadn't eaten in months.
It took everything in her power to keep herself from embracing him right then and there. All she wanted was to take him by the hand and disappear to a place where no one else was around.
"Adam," she whispered his name. Her grip on his arm tightened, but he didn't pull back.
"Weiss? What are you doing down here?" he answered just as quietly. His voice was deeper than she remembered.
A familiar red-haired woman and a blond man stared at her with equal surprise. What caught Weiss' attention the most was the chains shackled around their feet. She looked down at Adam's feet, her stomach twisting into knots at the chains binding his feet together.
"Why are you in chains?"
He looked like he wanted to reply but gasped at something over her shoulder. A hand fastened on her shoulder.
"What are you doing, Weiss?" Father spoke in a dangerously calm voice.
Weiss let go of Adam's arm like he was made of fire.
She gathered up all the courage that she could muster and turned to face Father. To anyone else, Father was perfectly calm and content, but she knew better. This facade always preceded a nasty period of physical punishment.
"I bumped into one of the workers and kept him from falling," she answered truthfully.
Her heart beat out of her chest, and her head spun. Weiss didn't break eye contact with him, not even for a single second. He finally nodded in approval, but she couldn't relax. Not when his hand was still touching her.
"You should be thanking my daughter for showing you such generosity, boy," Father said to Adam.
"Y-yes, sir. T-thank you for your kindness, M-Miss Schnee."
Weiss hated how he addressed her. This wasn't how friends should be talking to each other.
"Your daughter seems to have an…unhealthy liking for the Faunus," Uncle piped in curiously. "Are you sure she's been properly educated on their kind, Jacques? I will not have my niece associate with scum."
"I can assure you that my daughter knows who she can and cannot associate with. Isn't that right, Weiss?"
Weiss mentally apologised to Adam before bobbing her head.
"That's right, Father."
Uncle still didn't seem satisfied, but Father was beaming proudly down at her.
"Good girl."
Bile crawled up her throat when he patted her cheek. He wasn't hitting her. It was a harmless pat on the face. Still, she massaged the cheek he touched as if he had slapped her.
"Now, let's head up for dinner. I'm exhausted from the trip," Father said.
Weiss spared the slightest glance back at Adam. They shared one last look before returning to their respective roles as strangers.
After stuffing a container of lasagna and another with chocolate cake into her bag, she went back to the Mine.
Sneaking out at night wasn't as easy as it was when she was five. She was bigger now, and her usual hiding spots were too small to fit into. It took longer than usual for her to slip past the guards. Although she showed up late, Adam wasn't waiting for her at the cave entrance.
Was he upset with her comment earlier? But if Adam was mad, why did he hold her gaze before she left?
The sound of rattling chains ripped her out of her thoughts. She squealed and dove out of the cave.
"It's just me," he called out to her.
"Gods, you scared me." She dusted the snow off her coat before reentering the cave.
Weiss hoped the shackles she saw around his ankles would be gone now, but they still clung to him like dead weight.
"I thought you were never coming back again. I'm glad I was wrong." Adam's smile momentarily distracted her from the chains binding him.
She hurried over to him, surrendering her scarf despite it being a relatively warm night.
"I'm so sorry!" She enveloped him in a hug as soon as the scarf was secured. "I didn't mean to say all those things earlier."
"I know you didn't mean it." He returned the hug.
She smiled, relishing his touch. It'd been far too long since he held her - since anyone had held her.
"It's good to see you again, Weiss."
"I missed you so much, Adam."
She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of being in his arms again. He hugged her like a warm, fuzzy blanket on a dark snowy night. It took them longer than usual to break apart.
"I brought you dinner." She slipped off her bag and handed him the leftovers.
"Thanks, I've been craving chocolate for ages now. Let's find somewhere to sit."
They settled down in their usual corner, though the space was tighter than she had remembered.
After so many years away, it felt almost unreal to be with him again. The reunion would've been perfect had he not shown up shackled.
She didn't understand why he needed to be chained. He was so kind and gentle. He wasn't like any of the dangerous Faunus she read about in books.
"Why are you in chains?" she asked once he finished eating.
"I don't want to talk about it," he murmured.
"But I need to know. That's what friends are for. We look after each other's backs."
"Look, I don't want to talk about this on the first night you're back," he explained hastily. "Can we save that for another night?"
"Fine, but I'm not going to stop bugging you tomorrow if you don't tell me the truth."
He smiled weakly and nodded. "Where have you been all these years?"
"I've been stuck at home." She sighed. Weiss gave him a quick summary of her disastrous home life, specifically the fallout between her parents.
"Winter tells me Mother is sick, but I'm not stupid. I'm not dumb enough to confuse wine bottles with grape juice," she finished.
"I didn't realise your family could have so much drama."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Everyone here talks about how your entire family lives in some paradise. Some of the adults say the Schnees never have to work a day in their lives."
A spark of anger ignited at the accusation of not having to work. She and Winter had to put in hours of intense studying to comprehend the scope of their family business. She couldn't believe the very people who worked for them thought so lowly of their employers.
"I don't see how working in our mines gives you all the right to judge my family," she disagreed.
If anything, they should respect her family enough to not make rumours about them. Her family gave them all stable jobs. Other companies wouldn't spare them a single dollar.
"Seriously? You can still say that after you went down there to see us?" he snapped.
"What I saw was a bunch of dedicated workers. I don't see how that has any relevance to this."
"Then you need to get your eyes checked, Weiss, because you're more blind than I thought."
"And what exactly was I supposed to see, Adam?"
Adam glared at her and shook his head. "I don't want to get into it tonight."
"You started it." She crossed her arms.
Silence.
"You don't sound too happy about being stuck in a mansion." He was the first to speak.
Weiss sighed and pushed her anger aside. He was right, now wasn't the time to be angry. She'd waited too long for this to have it ruined by a stupid disagreement.
"Now that Mother is…unavailable, I have to face Father's wrath by myself."
"Wrath?" Adam narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"M-maybe wrath isn't the right word. He's not always angry. He can be nice when he's happy." She blushed.
Why did she have to word it like that? Now Adam was going to see how cowardly she was. What kind of daughter feared her father?
"And what happens when he's angry?"
"He yells. A lot." Weiss hugged her knees as more blood rushed to her face. "He used to yell at Mother as well, so it's not a big deal."
"And that's all he does?"
Weiss took a keen interest in her shoes and nodded.
"Weiss, you're always telling me to be honest, but that applies to you too."
"I-I'm being honest."
"What happened to 'friends have each other's backs?' I can't help you if you're not honest."
It didn't feel all that great when she was on the receiving end of her own words.
"You won't laugh at me?"
"You know I won't."
She ran her thumb over her arm, outlining the shape of the newest purple blotch on her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck rose at the memory of Father's hand touching her face.
"Sometimes he hits me."
Her voice bounced off the cavern walls, mocking her.
"Can I see?"
Adam stared at the arm she was massaging. Weiss pulled the offending arm closer to her chest. She didn't put on any makeup before coming down to meet him.
"I won't make fun of you. I promise." He held out a hand to her.
Weiss wasn't sure what compelled her to show him what Father did. Maybe it was the warmth in his voice or the reassuring smile she'd missed for so many years. In the end, Weiss laid her hand on his cold one.
She turned her head to the side when he rolled her sleeve up. She was glad he couldn't see the grimace on her face when her sleeve brushed against the bruise. Cold knawed at her exposed forearm, but it was nothing compared to the silence that fell between them.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Why are you sorry? It's not like you did anything wrong."
He gently tugged her sleeve back down, keeping her hand clasped in his even after covering the ugly blemish.
"I'm sorry your dad hurts you."
"Aren't all fathers supposed to be like that?"
"No. No, they aren't." He squeezed her hand. "My dad gets mad at me when I do dumb things, but he's never hurt me. Not once."
"Oh."
Weiss wasn't sure what to think about that. She'd always thought Father's bullying was a normal part of growing up.
If fathers weren't supposed to hit their kids, then why did her father do it? Was it something she did wrong? Was she a bad daughter? Was she an embarrassment to their family, like Father always said?
Weiss blinked, clearing her vision of the tears flooding her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was crying, but no matter what she did the tears kept coming.
"But I still love him," she whimpered. "He's the only father I have."
Adam closed the distance between them, pulling her into a tight embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder, holding him tightly. He didn't say anything when she couldn't get her crying under control, didn't even mock her when she bawled like a baby.
Father would've set her straight if he saw her crying like this.
But with Adam, she didn't have to stay strong. She didn't have to worry about upholding their family honour. That only made the tears come pouring down harder and faster. She couldn't stop until her tears had run dry.
"I'm sorry for that," she sniffled.
"Don't be sorry for crying," he said, pulling away from her.
"I hate crying. It always makes me sleepy." She slouched down to rest her head against his shoulder.
"Same. I also hate how puffy my eyes get afterwards." He leaned into her touch. "I wish I could do more to help you."
"It's okay. I'm glad you're here."
She snuggled closer to his side, wrapping her arms around him. Being with him quieted all fears she had about Father. Weiss wondered if this was his Semblance – the power to calm all fear.
"I'm sorry I made tonight weird for you," she said with a yawn. "Is there anything you want to do?"
"I don't want to do anything if you're tired. You can go back and sleep if you want."
"No, I don't want to go yet." She didn't care how sleepy she was. Nothing was going to send her back early.
"We can just sit here. I'm pretty tired tonight too."
"Yeah, that sounds perfect."
The problem with sitting still was that it made the cold more potent. Even when Weiss was bundled in a jacket, she still shivered from the ice and snow surrounding her. She couldn't imagine how cold Adam was.
They should've called it a night then and there. It would've been more comfortable to curl into a warm bed and wait for the next night to play again. But neither of them made the move to leave.
They curled closer together, wrapping their arms as tightly as they could around each other for warmth. After so many years apart, not even the icy winds could cut their visit short. Weiss would happily spend every night like this if it meant she never had to step foot in the Manor again.
Weiss closed her eyes and tucked her head beneath his chin, not knowing it was the last time they could ever be together like that again.