Ruby couldn't believe what was happening.
It all started when she did Ironwood a favor (fuck that guy) and went out to do what was supposed to be a simple mission but instead it turned into a shit show that put all other shit shows to shame.
What was supposed to be only a few Grimm turned into more than a hundred. She ran and ran with all her might and ended up at some weird temple that had been abandoned for hundreds or even thousands of years. Taking a funneling position inside the temple, she made her last stand but with her little remaining ammo, aura, and energy, it was pointless. She held them off for a while but when a giant Death Stalker slammed its way in, it was over. With her weapon gone, she knew that she could do nothing but accept her fate. Bracing herself for the oncoming last blow, a weird silence had taken over the room and when she opened her eyes, the whole room was covered in ice and the Grimm had been turned into popsicles. She couldn't believe her eyes... and it was only the sound of someone else nearby that made her come to her senses.
Sitting in her direct vicinity was a woman, more beautiful than any woman Ruby had ever seen… poised on a table, calmly eating an apple.
This woman, who called herself Weiss, had apparently answered Ruby's prayer. A prayer that Ruby made in a last-ditch effort, —*granted*, an insane one— to try and survive.
Weiss was —in her own words— a Goddess- and had accepted Ruby's sad attempt at an offering, an apple, her scarf, and a bar of chocolate.
Apparently, Weiss was once the revered and worshipped deity of this temple, which was evident by the large and impressive statue that looked exactly like her. People would flock to her in hopes of attaining wealth, beauty, wisdom, and to heal the wounded and deathly ill. Such things were only granted if they made a worthy offering, but she was a generous Goddess nonetheless. She healed the sickly, helped the poor, and allowed those she deemed worthy to retain their youth for a little longer. Her wisdom, however, was the prize most often sought after, and was the one less given. Those who came searching for it mostly sought her knowledge for one thing.
War.
Weiss never answered such questions as she was not a fan of war. Her wisdom was meant to help humanity traverse the unknown, not for them to destroy each other with. When warlord after warlord, king after king, emperor and emperor came to in search of her gifts she refused every single one. After some time, though, the leaders became enraged by her rejection and took to hating the Goddess. They attacked her temple and proceeded to slaughter her followers. The attackers thought Weiss would do nothing for her people, that she was a small Goddess who cared not for others.
They were wrong.
Using her power, Weiss transported her remaining people away to a far-off land and destroyed the aggressors. Her people were safe, but they would not be coming back to her temple. In their new home, they continued to worship her but slowly the belief died out since the newer generations moved away from their elder's religion and changed their ways.
Thousands of years had passed since then, and her temple remained empty for all that time. That is until a certain little redhead came rushing in.
Ruby had gotten to know about the temple's history through the Goddess herself, as she walked through the woods with Weiss walking beside her, a white cloak covering her body and Ruby's former red scarf wrapped around her neck. Despite stating that the cold didn't affect her, Weiss did acknowledge that walking around in just a toga wasn't exactly something that seemed appropriate, so she conjured up the cloak out of no where and covered herself with it.
Whenever Weiss spoke, her voice would somehow make Ruby feel warm regardless of the cold and it felt like a beautiful melody was playing in her ears. Occasionally Ruby would glance at Weiss, her gaze on her lips, as she reached up and mindlessly touched her own.
The Previous Night
Ruby felt warmth like she never believed to be possible. Warmer than sitting by the fire, wrapped up in a blanket and a sipping a nice cup of hot chocolate. Warmer than any of Yang's bone crushing hugs... This warmth was different as well. It made her feel safe, comfortable and yet her body was freaking out. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute, palms were sweaty, her knees felt like they were going to give out any second. And yet…. She never wanted this feeling to end.
Moments ago, Weiss had told her that she was her last gift. She didn't understand what the woman meant at first but when she gently caressed her cheek and her face inched forward, Ruby was still as clueless as ever.
It wasn't until she felt a pair of soft, silky lips gently pressed against her own- did she finally understand what the Goddess meant by that.
SHE was her last gift.
Within seconds Ruby was freaking out as she realized that she was being kissed, but it was quickly overwhelmed by how great the kiss was. It wasn't her first kiss, mind you. She had a boyfriend back in the day, her first friend that she met back at Beacon that slowly turned more romantic… or so she thought. They had dated for a couple years but ended it after they both realized that it was going nowhere, and his heart followed someone else.
Those kisses felt empty when compared to this one.
When Weiss pulled back from the kiss, Ruby unknowingly tried to follow them as the kiss going away felt like her breath was being stolen. Feeling that she was about to fall flat on her face unless she shot herself out of this trance, Ruby shook her head and took a few breaths to try regaining her senses. Once she did, she could feel her face burning up and a very visible blush on her face.
Weiss let out a laugh as she noticed Ruby's expression. "What's wrong? Never been kissed before?"
"Uh, yeah, j-j-just…. not like that." Ruby stammered bashfully, trying to avoid Weiss's gaze.
"Hmmm." Weiss smirked as she took a step closer to Ruby. Weiss was only an inch or two shorter than her but the huntress could feel the Goddess's minty breath on her face, and her cool hand brushing a strand of hair over her ear. "Well, if you want... I can do it again?"
Ruby felt as if a blood vessel was going to burst, and blood was going to start gushing out of her nose like those anime shows she used to watch back at home. She was silent for a little too long as Weiss pulled back and let out another gorgeous laugh. "You are far too easy to tease, my little Rose."
Rose.
That got Ruby to finally shake off whatever effect the Goddess had on her. "Wait, how did you know my name? A-and why did you kiss me?!" She questioned, her cheeks a little red at the mention of the kiss.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Oh, right, you are new to this whole thing." She moved to the table and sat down on it, her legs crossed. "Well, whenever someone offers up something to a God or Goddess, they open their hearts to them. This allows us to see if that person is worthy of receiving our gifts or blessings. The offerings are more of a show of intent and another way to get an understanding of who the person is. If a king shows up and they offer stuff like gold and diamonds by the bucket full, then that person is less likely to receive anything because they already have everything- as they're simply being greedy. Now if a person who is poor and suffering offers up what little they own, or whatever little food they have, they show that they truly value the blessings we could offer and make the best of it. Now- that does not mean we simply go by the offerings... our focus remains on people's hearts. If a good king makes an offer for his loved ones or his people, that is also considered; if a bandit or murderer offers up something, they will get nothing but judgment when they finally die, as they are unworthy."
Ruby thought she got a better grasp of what Weiss had just told her. A look into one's heart is what is truly being offered, not the offering itself. "But then, why did you save me?"
Weiss smiled. "Because you wanted to live. Not for just yourself, but for your family, your friends, and for all those you love. You are a good person Ruby Rose, and your story is not yet over. That, plus you did offer yourself up to me and after seeing what's in your heart, I am rather fond of you."
"Of me?" Ruby pointed to herself, a surprised expression on her face. Weiss nodded. "Okay- but that doesn't exactly explain why you kissed me...?"
Weiss tilted her head. "You didn't like it?"
"I-I-I didn't say that." Weiss pretended not to hear her mumble "It was actually very nice." Under her breath.
The Goddess giggled, "I quite enjoyed it myself, just so you know..."
Weiss shot Ruby a sultry, mischievous look, licking her lips, which made Ruby's heart go crazy. "But enough teasing-" Weiss hopped down from the table. "You offered yourself to me. Now when such a thing happens, most Gods will simply have you do some work for them here and there, or have you spread their name across the land to spread their power."
"So, I'm going to be working for you?"
The Goddess shook her head. "This is different. You see... you are just who I have been looking for." Weiss started making her way in front of Ruby. "You're kind," step. "You're loving," step. "You're selfless," step. "You're funny," she took one last step as she stood before Ruby once again, a hand reaching out to cup her face. "And you are beautiful, more so than any woman I have seen."
Ruby, her face flushed a deep red color, turned her gaze from Weiss's face. "T-thank you, but, that still doesn't answer what you want me to be?"
Weiss chuckled some more, amused. "Isn't it obvious?" She gently grasped Ruby's chin and turned her head until they were staring into each other's eyes. "I want you to be my wife."
Wife?!
That's what Weiss said. She wants her, yes HER, the one and only Ruby Rose.
The fool that blew up the Dust lab at Beacon, the dunce that accidentally locked herself in her weapons locker more than once, the same air-head that did soooo not forget to grab her ammo bag out of the airship once on a hunt with her sister and Blake. That totally did not happen- no matter what Yang says.
This Goddess, a person who Ruby could only describe as beauty incarnate, wants her to marry her.
"If you were to marry me, I could provide you wealth beyond your wildest dreams, you will stay young far past your life was meant to end, and you will be kept safe for the rest of your days." Weiss explained as she walked a circle around the increasingly blushing huntress, her gaze roaming over her body. "And while that's just a few of the things, there are many others that I could provide for you once you become my wife." She whispered into her ear.
After that Weiss spoke, she may or may not have passed out from feeling a little lightheaded due to the stress and possible blood loss. Thankfully Weiss caught her, and once Ruby came to her senses again, the sun was out, and she felt better than ever before. Ruby thought it to be odd, though, that her pillow was a lot more comfortable than it had been the other times she used it, and that her head was nestled so nice on the cool, smooth surface that she decided to turn over and go back to sleep.
At least that was the plan until she heard someone giggling.
After opening her eyes and looking up, she saw a pair of blue eyes staring right back at her and a bright, dazzling smile. All the events from the past day finally caught back up to her and she realized that she was not in her sleeping bag but resting her head on Weiss's lap and the woman had been running her hands through her hair.
"AHHH!" Ruby jumped to her feet and backed away from the laughing Goddess.
"Good morning to you too, Ruby. How did you sleep?" Weiss gave her a knowing grin.
"Uh, good morning and- uh-" *gulp* "pretty great, thank you."
After Ruby woke up, the two decided it would be best to head out while the sun was still shining and see if they could make their way to a nearby town or something.
Weiss said that she remembered a village being a short distance from her temple and they should reach it before night fall... that is, if it was still around, given that it had been a few millennia ago.
Back to the Present
The two had been walking for a good while now and the sun would be setting in a few hours. Ruby really hoped that the village was still around because she did not want to sleep in the snow, though, if she had the same pillow as last time, she would consider it.
Ruby could feel herself blushing and shook the inappropriate thoughts from her mind before Weiss could notice. She decided to broach the subject she'd been tempted to talk about since they started walking.
"Hey, uhh Weiss?"
"Yes Ruby?"
"Uhm... About me being your wife…."
"Hmm?" Weiss looked at her from under the hood of her cloak, a curious expression on her face.
"I was wondering… I mean, do I have to marry you?"
Weiss turned away from her. "Are you saying you don't want to? You do remember all the perks that come with such a thing? "
"Uh yes, I mean no! I mean, ugh-!" Ruby grabbed at her hood and pulled it over her face in frustration and mild embarrassment. "I mean, wealth and staying young don't really matter to me, what matters is if it's someone I love. I just wanted to know if it's something that I have to do?"
"Hmm."
Silence enveloped the two at the question. It was a couple minutes before Weiss answered her. Ruby was certain that she could hear a bit of sadness in the woman's voice at her answer. "No, Ruby. You do not need to marry me. Me accepting your offering was not an agreement of marriage, but rather more of a proposal. I had entertained it and, once meeting me, I had hoped you would be more keen on the idea..." Weiss let out a small sigh. "But if you do not think it possible, then you can just continue your journey on your own and I will…"
"No!"
Ruby's sudden yell startled Weiss enough to make her jump a little, as she did not expect the young woman to yell with such force and the brunette was suddenly standing there in front of her, her face filled with worry.
"No?"
"Yes- No- I mean-" Ruby let out a sigh. "Asking you to leave is not what I meant by asking about the marriage. I just…" She was having a difficult time finding the right words.
"Well, spit it out then, you dolt."
Dolt? Ruby remembered being called that by Weiss last night. It felt a bit… nice, being called that by her. Not sure why, considering she was basically being called an idiot- but since it came from Weiss, it felt like she wasn't being called that at all. Weird.
Ruby took a deep breath. "What I meant was that before something as big as marriage could be discussed, maybe we should focus on being friends first?"
Weiss raised a brow. "Friends?"
Ruby smiled. "Friends."
Weiss stood there silently as she thought of Ruby's proposal. A few minutes passed and the huntress was starting to worry that she said something wrong.
Finally, the goddess spoke. "Okay, we can be friends."
"Yes!" Ruby pumped her fist in excitement.
"Yes, we can be girlfriends first. Before getting married. That sounds reasonable." Weiss said with a smirk as she walked past Ruby.
"Yeah! Best girlfriends forev… wait." Ruby lowered her arms and her face looked puzzled. "Girlfriends? Girlfriends?!" Turning around she started chasing after Weiss. "I said friends Weiss! Not girlfriends!"
"Too late. No backing out now."
"That's not fair, Weiss!"
"We can't kiss if we are just friends, you know?" Weiss gave Ruby a knowing look. Smiling as Ruby's gaze immediately went for the Goddess's lips.
Crap. Ruby hoped that Weiss hadn't noticed how she would occasionally look at her and her lips.
"W-Well maybe we could be friends that kiss sometimes?" she asked as she poked the tips of her index fingers together, blushing some, shyly. Weiss gave her a deadpan look that told her everything she needed to know. "Okay, fine. We can be girlfriends."
"Thank you, Ruby."
Weiss gave her a delighted smile before taking a few steps closer. Her eyes staring right into her own and she reached down to grasp both her hands. "Listen Ruby, I know what you are thinking. It has been a crazy couple days for you. You were being chased by Grimm, got saved by a Goddess- who appears out of nowhere and says she wants to marry you. Not a story anyone would believe." She grinned. "But like I said earlier, when someone offers gifts to us, we look into their hearts. I already had a good glimpse into yours and that is why I am here now. It is only right that I allow you to peer into mine." Moving one of Ruby's hands, she placed it on her chest, right over where her heart should be. "I know we just met, but I will fight by your side and be there for you when you need me. Mark my words Ruby Rose, I will get you to fall in love with me." Leaning over she placed a kiss on Ruby's cheek.
"Now let us go find that village. I think we could both really use a bath and some food. It has been ages since I have eaten anything resembling a full meal from the mortal realm." She chuckled before letting go of Ruby's hands and started heading out ahead.
As Weiss walked off, Ruby was left standing there for a moment, as Weiss's words swam in her head. Reaching up, her fingers grazed the spot where she was kissed, her gaze moving to the retreating form of the woman who somehow changed her life in a single night.
A smile crossed her face, her heart beat faster and her chest was filled with warmth. Ruby wasn't exactly sure what this feeling was. Was it love? Could you really fall in love with someone just after meeting them? That sort of thing only happened in fairy tales.
Fairy tale or not. All Ruby knew was that she liked this feeling.
With a smile on her face, she used her semblance to burst forward, heading to the source of the strange feelings in her heart.
"Hey Weiss! Wait up!"