When Weiss had first been assigned to team RWBY, she'd thought it would be her partner who'd test her self-control the most, who'd enrage that beastly, Faunus nature of hers that wanted to snipe, snap, and lash out. Who would cause Weiss to potentially blow up her whole life by ruining her perfect, maintained poise.
And Ruby certainly did at times, especially when she was being immature and childish and not taking her duties as leader seriously whatsoever! However, Ruby's tendencies had… grown on her, and her maturity as a leader had improved immensely. Weiss could hesitantly call her a friend. Even if Weiss was lying to the poor girl about who, about what she was.
No, the worst, most infuriating member of Weiss's team, the one who managed to poke and prod just the right ways was one Blake Belladonna. Self-righteous, holier than thou Blake. The human who just always had something to say about the SDC, who always had something to say about the poor oppressed Faunus, that no, the Faunus were just like real people. Weiss wished Blake was right. But she wasn't, and gods Weiss sometimes just wished she could reveal what she was, just to see that sense of superiority, that sneer Blake had as she lectured the oh-so-bigoted Schnee, finally get wiped away.
But that was the illogical, animal part of her talking. So Weiss was forced to put up with Blake's judgmental looks and listen to her misinformed 'activism.' Given the glares she was giving Weiss as they walked back to their dorm and the near-dead silence of her team during the latter half of their trip to Vale despite a few weak attempts by Ruby to start a conversation. All because Weiss made a few comments about a literal criminal!
The door wasn't even all the way closed when Blake started, "Weiss, we need to talk."
"About what?" She asked, pretending to fuss with her notebooks.
Blake's amber eyes narrowed into a glare, "Don't play dumb with me Weiss! You know exactly what you said!"
"Oh, that, I seem to recall agreeing to disagree and that I didn't want to talk about it." She said clenching her teeth as her wings instinctively attempted to move, only to strain against their bindings.
"You can't just 'agree to disagree' about racism Weiss, this isn't some matter of opinion, it's bigotry!"
"C'mon Blake, Weiss already said she doesn't want to talk about it," Ruby said nervously as she sat on Weiss's bed, her hands clenching onto her cloak, feet bouncing on the floor.
"And you're not going to convince her she's wrong when the two of you are clearly so keyed up for a fight," Yang added, standing almost in between the two girls.
Weiss rolled her eyes, as much as she hated the patronizing assumption that of course, Weiss was in the wrong, that it was all just a matter of convincing her 'properly,' she still was glad they had the sense to cut this one short.
Blake glared at them, amber eyes bouncing between them, "And when she decides it's just another difference of opinion then and dodges any sort of discussion about the fact that she's a bigot?"
Don't do it, Weiss.
"Weiss isn't that bad, she doesn't really say much and isn't mean to anyone."
"Just because she's polite about it doesn't make her any better than Cardin, and if you two keep enabling her you're just proving you're just as bad as-"
Weiss spun around, "I am nothing like Cardin!" Cardin was an ignorant buffoon. Weiss was unfortunately anything but ignorant of what the Faunus were like. It was why she couldn't keep her damnable mouth shut after all.
She continued, "I've tried to be diplomatic, I've tried to play nice, but you are right Belladonna, this isn't just a matter of opinion! Are you mad that I called the feral delinquents feral delinquents? They were running from the police! As much as your bleeding heart wants to dress things up, most Faunus are just a bunch of degenerate, mangy, animals who don't belong anywhere in polite society let alone in this hallowed institution!"
Weiss let out a shuddering breath as she finished. Gods it felt good to finally let that venom out, release that animal fury that plagued her, but that feeling immediately soured as she saw the wide-eyed, gaping mouth looks of horror on Yang's face, on Ruby's face. Of course, she resorted to insults and emotion rather than making her point logically! Stupid stupid stupid!
Even Blake was stunned, but it only took a moment for that shock to turn into a sneer of fury. "And just like that, the Schnee finally reveals her true colors."
Weiss crossed her arms, grimacing as her wings yet again strained against their bindings, "You don't know anything about me, Belladonna."
It was Ruby, who had finally found her voice who responded, "H-how could you say that Weiss? What about Velvet? She's our friend!"
Weiss took a deep breath, closing her eyes and steadying herself, "Velvet is the perfect example of the dangers of Faunus instincts. She's a second-year who could easily beat Cardin and his goons, yet because of that inner animal of hers she cowers and whimpers like a helpless child!"
"Or because she knows that retaliating would just get her labeled as a wild animal by racists like you!" Blake fired back.
"If she didn't want the attention then maybe she should just hide those ridiculous ears of hers! Besides, what about that monkey-tailed rapscallion and whatever animal that blue-haired co-conspirator of his was? He was hanging from a lamppost with his tail and threw a banana at the police, police that they were running away from!"
What about her own urges was what she wanted to say. That ridiculous urge to perch instead of sit, that animal desire to snap and yell, that need to relax in high places, that ache to soar when she couldn't. Not anymore at least.
"Weiss, 'that blue-haired co-conspirator' didn't even have any traits and you're already saying he's a Faunus? Dude could just be a human, and it's not like humans don't also get in trouble with the law as well, does Torchwick ring a bell?" Yang's response caused Weiss to take a step back, not because of her response but because of the level, steely tone that had replaced her typical sunny cheer.
Weiss pretended to clear her throat, "Well, given the recent uptick in White Fang-related robberies I wouldn't be surprised if that is what those two were involved in! Even ignoring that, I have a pretty good sense of when it's a Faunus in hiding or a proper human! If you put someone in front of me I could tell within a few minutes what they were."
After all, it took an animal to know an animal.
Blake laughed. It wasn't her normal subdued chuckle, but a cold, dry, and derisive. "You're such an ignorant little child and you don't even realize it, do you? This type of treatment is exactly why the White Fang started, it's why it's so popular with the Faunus!"
Weiss's eyes twitched, Blake wasn't actually-
"Hey let's-" Yang started but Weiss cut her off.
"Are you seriously doing apologetics for the White Fang, Belladonna?! They're terrorists, murderers, and animals who want to kill you, Ruby, Yang, and everyone else to sate their instincts! They're only popular because it's easier to just give in and become a wild beast than control yourself and act like a normal person!"
Just like Weiss was doing right now instead of shutting up!
"That's why they're so radical?! Don't you hear yourself?! Do you think it was any different back when they were peaceful, that those same words weren't being used to silence the Faunus, brush off their concerns when they tried being 'normal' like what you say? People like you are the reason to blame for the way the White Fang is, Weiss!"
Weiss saw red. Her nails dug into her palms. her wings attempting to flare and she exhaled through her nose to hide the pain all the while she glared at Blake.
"Well, Blake, because you clearly don't care about your friends, let's talk about how the White Fang affects the Faunus they claim to be fighting for! How those mangy degenerates tar those of us who actually try to be functional people! Maybe if the White Fang didn't exist, maybe if most Faunus could learn some modicum of self-control, we wouldn't be treated like-"
Weiss choked and any hope of them having missed that dying as the expressions of her friends shifted, all of them gawking at the beast in front of them.
Weiss's breathing was heavy as she continued to stare at her teammates, taking a few steps back. No no no no-!
"I-I can explain!" Her voice shook and she backed away like a cornered animal from its predators.
"Weiss, are you… okay?" Ruby's silver eyes looked over her with growing concern. Yang began moving towards her slowly.
It was Blake who popped the question voice still quavering in shock, "Weiss, you're… a-a Faunus?!"
Weiss turned and broke for the restroom, ignoring the shouts of her teammates as she slammed the door shut, locking it and flipping the shower on before she flung the cabinets open, snatching her beauty supplies before tearing through the bag and pulling out the pair of tweezers buried deep inside.
"Weiss!" One of her friend's voices came from outside, muted by the sound of running water.
Weiss flung her bolero to the ground, her combat skirt soon following. She moved her hands back fiddling with the complex array of straps, pins, and custom-made clips around her chest and back, her shaking hands slowing down the otherwise familiar routine.
"It's okay Weiss, really! We won't tell anyone!"
As her bindings fell to the floor Weiss took a shaky breath as her wings were exposed to the air, hissing at the lack of support the malformed appendages had without the bindings. The disgusting dead weight that held her back.
No, that was a lie. Even if she could take them off, remove them with Myrtenaster like she sometimes dreamed of doing, she was still a foul animal on the inside. That stupid inner beast that just caused her to blow everything! To ruin everything again!
"Weiss please!" There was some banging on the door.
Weiss gripped the first feather she could find with her tweezers, one of many that had clearly grown in wrong from being bound all day, and pulled. She gritted her teeth in pain even as she felt that small thrill she always felt when she plucked her feathers, for being able to attack that animal part of her, to remove just even that small hint of feral degeneracy within herself, even if she could never truly get rid of it.
"Just tell us you're okay! C'mon Weiss, you're starting to scare us."
Her hands quickly hovered over another feather and she pulled, muttering, "Mongrel!"
And another, "Stupid!"
And another, "Animal!"
And another, "Impure!"
"Weiss if you don't say anything I am going to bust this damn door down!"
She whimpered at the stinging pain she pulled out one clearly hadn't finished growing, blood quickly welling up from the pin.
Wait, did Yang say she was going to-
The doorknob twisted and Weiss heard the wood crack before the door swung open, revealing all three of Weiss's teammates,
"Oh gods, Weiss…" Blakes said, hands shaking.
Weiss took a few deep breaths as she tried to calm herself, eyes refusing to meet her teammates, "Well, here I am, my big secret exposed in all its pitiful glory because I'm too much of an impulsive animal."
"Weiss I swear we won't tell anyone, gods, you could have told us from the start! I didn't- we wouldn't have hurt you," Yang said quietly, all the while her fists were clenching and unclenching repeatedly.
Weiss shuddered. She knew her teammates, her… friends wouldn't tell, deep down but she felt naked and exposed, oh so vulnerable, and she loathed it.
"I-I" Ruby's eyes settled on Weiss's left wing, "Weiss you're bleeding, h-hold on!"
"Ruby I'm fine you don't-"
But Ruby ignored her already busy shakily going through the medicine cabinet.
"Who did this to you?" Blake's voice was low and furious as her eyes looked down at the pile of bindings that lay haphazardly on the floor.
"No one did this to me, Blake- it's my own decision to hide. It shouldn't be that difficult to understand, but being seen for what I really am wouldn't help my chances at taking the company over when my time comes. Besides how could I-" Weiss winced for a second as Ruby began to rub antiseptic on her wound. "How could I deal with all the responsibility if I couldn't even control my own urges?"
Blake frowned, "So your father did this to you."
Weiss cut her off with a sneer, "Don't you dare treat me like some pet to pity Blake. I'd rather you'd keep thinking I was simply a misguided bigot than that."
Blake looked away, "That wasn't what I meant I-I… trust me Weiss I understand."
Weiss's nostrils flared, but she settled for exhaustedly glaring at Blake
Yang cut her off "Hey, everyone, let's not do this here- we can at least get Weiss some clothes before bickering again."
Weiss nodded, turning off the shower and grabbing her binder only for Ruby to interject.
"Weiss, are you sure you should put that back on? You're still… bleeding a bit, and if you get an infection…"
Weiss rolled her eyes, "I'll be fine, it's not something I haven't done before."
Yang's eyes narrowed, "I'm guessing those are all the times you inexplicably had low aura because of 'anemia', and that one time you had that mystery infection huh?"
Weiss bit her lip, "Perhaps."
"It just isn't healthy to tie them up like that period," Blake added, with Yang giving her a quick frown and Blake thankfully keeping quiet.
"It's not like I have any sleep clothes or clothes period designed for these stupid things. I'll be fine." Weiss grabbed her bolero for emphasis.
"Me or Yang would be happy to make you something with an open back real quick out of some of our own night clothes, right?"
Yang nodded. "It can't be comfortable sleeping with them like that, and I'd imagine your grades in Goodwitch's class might suffer a little less if you let your wounds heal and slept a little better."
Weiss put her chin in her hand. Letting her wings out, allowing herself that slackness was weakness, especially when she was already failing so catastrophically but… her wings had been affecting her grades, holding her back like the deadweight it was. Would mitigating that really be 'giving in'? Plus she knew she'd get nagged by her worried teammates.
Weiss huffed, "Fine, I'll indulge your worries, but just this once!"
Ten minutes later Weiss found herself sitting on her bed, hunched over a cup of hot cocoa, practically swimming in Yang's nightgown, her wings limply hanging out of the two ad hoc tears in the back. Ruby sat beside her, sipping her own hot cocoa as her silver eyes constantly flicked to Weiss when she thought she wasn't looking while Blake and Yang sat across from her, Yang gently nursing her beverage while Blake nervously fiddled with her bow.
It was Ruby who broke the comfortable silence, "Weiss, if you uh, don't want to talk we don't have to, we can maybe save it for morning instead?"
Weiss shook her head, "No, we'll do this tonight and then we can go on as normal tomorrow like this never happened. So ask away while you have the chance." She didn't know how long this burst of… she didn't know what to call it, a lack of shame, temporary insanity, would last.
It was Yang who asked first, "So how did…" she gestured vaguely at Weiss's wings, "You have two human parents right?"
Weiss took a deep breath, "To get any misconceptions straightened out, I am by no means a bastard child," Despite how much her father wished she was, "I am the legitimate child and heir to the Schnee Dust Company. Unfortunately, both sides of the family had some amount of Faunus taint in their blood, and… here I am now."
"Weiss…" Yang's voice was softer now, "You don't have to say those things now, we know you don't need to… play up this act."
Weiss rolled her eyes, "It's not an act Yang. Denying basic reality just because I'm unfortunately one of them would be ridiculous. It would be like you insisting you could fly by flapping your arms around!"
Yang leaned back in surprise, eyes widening, while Blake just stared down at her own legs, hugging herself.
Ruby sniffled and… were those tears in her eyes? "Why do you do it? I… don't understand and you're hurting yourself and saying these mean things and-."
"Ruby maybe-"
Weiss cut Yang off, "I said I'd answer your questions and-" she didn't want Ruby to worry, "impressing the importance of why all of this is necessary. As I mentioned before, I need to practice self-control so I don't perch in my chair, climb the nearest roof to relax, or blow up over nothing like I just did!"
So she could finally stop aching to soar when she knew she couldn't anymore.
Weiss closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "Besides, even if Father was some kind of animal lover, it's not like being openly Faunus would exactly help me once I'm the head of the company. As for what you saw in the bathroom, that's just…"
Weiss floundered for a few seconds before finding an answer that would satisfy them. "It's just maintenance-it's a lot harder to keep things under wraps when there are feathers in the way. Normally back home I have the time and space to strip them mostly bare."
That was at least part of the truth, and Weiss certainly wasn't lying about having a woeful lack of ability to do her normal plucking, which was why her damned wings were so patchy and fluffy, but based on the looks on her team's faces… she doubted they entirely bought it.
Ruby scampered off the bed, quickly running to her desk and grabbing something before returning. "T-this was yours then, wasn't it?"
Ruby uncupped her hands, and within it was a singular, white feather, whole and in perfect condition. The one she'd found a month ago after Weiss had missed cleaning up after one of her pluckings.
"I know you told me to get rid of it when I found it cause you said it was dirty and stuff but I thought it was pretty so I just… cleaned it up a bit and used it as a bookmark. I-I didn't know it was yours so if you want it back…" Ruby trailed off, puffy red eyes not meeting Weiss's own.
Weiss swiped it from Ruby's hands, clenching it and crushing it as she stomped over to the room's waste bin, and without looking at the feather in her hand, dropped it into the bin.
Weiss felt her wings twitch and itch and just wanted to return to- No, she was in control! She was better than her emotions, she was more than some impulsive animal!
Weiss avoided the gazes of her teammates, not wanting to see the pity or shock or whatever reaction they had to her destroying that ugly piece of her. Though as her eyes darted around the room inevitably they were drawn to the room's window, to the night sky where she wanted to-
"Weiss I…" Blake's voice finally rang out, quiet and filled with a rare trepidation. "I do want to talk with you, to ask you some things, but I know you won't listen to me the way things are now, so… it's only fair I exchange a secret for a secret."
Blake took a deep breath, her hands shakily moving to her omnipresent bow, untying it and Weiss gasped.
No, that, that was… impossible. Ridiculous. Insane! But the proof was right in front of her, in front of her whole team
"That… makes a lot of sense now huh…" Yang's lilac eyes were transfixed on the black cat ears that were inexplicably on Blake's head.
All that came from Ruby was a quiet, "Oh…"
"Don't worry, I wasn't hiding for anything, just to avoid being hassled by bigots like Cardin and…" Blake cleared her throat, "the point being is I'm doing this for Weiss, because like I said earlier," She was now meeting Weiss's gaze with those amber catlike eyes, "I do know how it feels to be patronized to… and I know how awful it is to be alone with this."
She finally recovered from her shock enough to respond, though her mind was still reeling at the insanity of it all "Tha-that's impossible you-you're too…!" She threw her hands up in the air, "Too normal! Or human! Even with the activism, you're the last person on the team I'd expect to be a Faunus!"
Ruby and Yang would be a long shot, but she could have seen it if she didn't know how lax and normal their household had been. No Faunus would have come out of that as normal as those two sisters had. But calm, quiet, collected Blake? Weiss wouldn't have ever bought it.
"Well, here I am. Normal Blake Belladonna who just so happens to be a Faunus." Her ears wiggled for emphasis.
Weiss's shoulders slumped, "I-I'm sorry Blake."
Blake quirked a brow, "For what?"
"Just that… you're stuck with this curse like I am. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone one of my teammates."
Blake's ears drooped and she sighed, "Weiss this isn't a curse, this isn't a taint. I'm a person, you're a person just as much as Ruby and Yang are." Her two teammates nodded along with Blake, "The only reason any of us feel that way is because of humans who try to tell us otherwise."
"Which is why I have all these damn urges! Why do I want to perch in a chair, why do I want to fly out the damn window, why do I get angry like some feral beast?!"
"Humans have instincts too. My semblance allows me to go through the air just fine but I still get nervous around a ledge! And we swing our arms and stuff when we walk," Ruby said.
Yang's voice was quieter, "I don't know if it's my place but… you aren't the only one to deal with anger Weiss. I know I need to cool off and calm down sometimes and I certainly know I'd end up being more pissed off if someone kept invalidating my anger all because of what I was."
Weiss paused, "I…that's different!" It was, she knew it was, she just couldn't, didn't have the time to articulate it!
"Even if it somehow is different, that doesn't change my point. We're still people-"
"We're not! I'm an animal, you're an animal-"
"No," Weiss recoiled at the steel in Blake's voice, "As much as it hurts me to hear you talk about yourself that way, I can't control how you feel about being a Faunus, but I will put my foot down on you lashing out at me, at other Faunus, with that." Her tone softened, "I already hear that stuff enough, I don't want to hear it from a friend, okay?"
Weiss shrunk in on herself, eyes looking down to her feet, wings shifting back slightly. "I'm sorry, for this and just… hurting you before."
Blake's glare melted away and she leaned back into her previous relaxed posture, "It's fine, I'm just letting you know my boundaries."
The room was silent for a few moments though Blake had the same nervous look on her face right before she decided to reveal her big secret to the team.
"Blake, just spit it out," Weiss said.
Blake exhaled, "I know this is stressful and I won't push you but… I just want to ask. Do you want to keep binding yourself like this? I know how much hiding eats me, how much even this short time burns, I couldn't imagine doing that my whole life. I know you want to inherit the company but… if you didn't have to worry about losing your inheritance… or if you couldn't inherit no matter how hard you try to play as a human… Would you keep hiding?"
That burning question, the one that had tortured her since she was a child every time her father threatened to strip her of everything and send her down to Mantle when she didn't control herself properly.
She strode over to the waste bin, plucking the crumpled feather out from it, twirling it idly in her fingers, "I… there are more important things than what I want, I have a duty to uphold, after all. Everyone has things that are out of reach, and besides," Weiss limply flared her ragged wings as best she could, "It's too late for that anyways."
Blake's response was immediate, "Do you really know it's impossible? Have you even tried keeping them out of those bindings for an hour or two at most, letting them heal?"
And there was the temptation. To give in to that weakness, to not care anymore. No, no, Weiss had to be strong. Don't even think about it!
She shook her head and disengaged, "I think I'm done for the night. Does anyone need to use the shower before me?"
"Okay that's fair, I'm not going to keep you, though before you go Weiss would…" Blake fiddled with the untied cloth of her bow, "Do you want a hug? I know you don't like to be touched but… I think you could use one."
Weiss's eyes widened, Blake was just about as opposed to touchy-feely stuff as Weiss and she didn't have layers of bindings she had to keep hidden either.
"I-I think, I'd be… okay with that?"
Despite literally giving her permission, Weiss couldn't help but squawk in surprise as Blake's arms wrapped around her, making sure to gently avoid her wings, and her head rested in the crook of Weiss's neck.
After the moment of disorientation, her own arms slowly wrapped around Blake, awkwardly patting her on the back. A soft coo came from Ruby before Weiss silenced her with an icy glare.
After a few more moments of just blissful silence, Weiss removed her hands from Blake's back, who gently pulled away from Weiss.
"I… thank you, Blake, I'm going to… take that shower now, yes." Weiss refused to look her in the eyes as she quickly made her way to the shower, closing the busted door as best as possible.
There she found herself sitting on the shower floor, hunched over underneath the warm water which sprayed her back, now waterlogged and sagging downward.
Weiss unfurled her palm, revealing the broken feather yet again, her fingers stroking the now broken pinion. She'd called it beautiful, and now it was crushed and broken, just like the thing it came from.
It didn't take long for the warm water and exhaustion to slowly lull her to blissful sleep, haunted by dreams she'd thought were long gone, relegated to distant childhood, where she soared among the clouds on resplendent snow-white wings.
/
Hey, y'all! So this has been what I'd been working on instead of Crimson Paths Divergent's next chapter, which I am working on don't worry! Weiss as a Faunus isn't a new concept, but it's one that especially on reading some of the fics out there, is one that resonates with a lot of personal struggles I've had to deal with and still deal with, so I knew it was something I always wanted to tackle even if it was in a shorter fic since there are some genuinely really fantastic long-form fics out there that cover it.
While this is a one-shot I absolutely will write more stuff/chapters for this sporadically that will work from this premise but be generally similarly self-contained as this one, both as a break for my other work and just because writing this is a bit cathartic and there is more stuff I want to cover.
To all the people who've dealt with or deal with feelings like this, I do help this speaks to you/makes you feel represented just a little bit as other writers' works in this tag have for me! Feedback is deeply appreciated. Shoutout to my beta who has helped me with this and so much more, she knows who she is :D