"What's it take to find a fucking groundskeeper around here…" Weiss huffed as she trekked away from yet another empty building.
The noisy men and women in green uniforms were typically everywhere when they were unwanted, yet the moment she set out in search of one, they were nowhere to be found. It probably didn't help that whenever she stumbled across one, she usually told them to relocate their infernal leaf blowers and weed wackers elsewhere. Regardless, she hadn't expected to hike across half of the property on such a menial whim.
Just as she contemplated her ability to fire them all, a lawn mower rumbled to life. She hated the sound as much as she hated 'most things,' as Ruby aptly put it, but she stomped toward it and discovered one of the groundskeepers preparing to mow a patch of grass outside one of the guest houses. He wore bright yellow earmuffs - probably the only thing protecting his sanity - so she motioned for his attention. He immediately cut the mower's engine, returning blissful silence to this part of the estate, and quickly removed his earmuffs.
"Yes, Miss?"
"It's Weiss," she snapped before taking a deep breath and pushing back against her annoyance - both from how long it took to find him and the brief sound of the mower. "Why isn't the range closed at night?"
She gestured over her shoulder to the shooting range, so he glanced that way while fiddling with his earmuffs.
"Because we weren't told to, Miss."
"Well, that's stupid. Do you go home at night without us telling you to?" When his brow creased, she sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. I'm telling you to close the range at night and open it back up in the morning. No one goes out there late, and there's no need to waste electricity."
When he just stood there and gawked at her, she added, "Is that a problem?"
"No, Miss," he replied, hastily shaking his head. "We'll do that from now on."
"Great. Thank you."
Leaving him with his cantankerous machinery, she made it halfway back to the house before sighing and hanging her head.
"Why do you even care…?" she mumbled, shaking her head at the idiocy of it all.
If she cared because Ruby cared, that was fucking stupid. She didn't even plan on telling Ruby because that would be mortifying. 'Remember how you didn't like that we wasted electricity keeping a giant building lit and air conditioned at all hours of the day? Well, we don't do that anymore. You're welcome.'
The trivial change impacted nothing other than the dollar amount in their bank account and the groundskeepers' work. But she was bored, so it offered something to do that wasn't sitting around waiting for Ruby to stop working so damn much.
If the delay between seeing each other was actually a test of her patience, she was going to fail. In fact, she might as well start planning for that failure already.
That was her intention, but a far more aggravating alternative revealed itself when she returned to the house and found Henry and her dad in the living room. Her dad looked at ease, in control, as he perched on 'his' chair and accepted a glass of water from one of the staff. Henry, on the other hand, looked like he was in the midst of a rectal exam. The scene was comical - the powerful elder and the naive, useless, wannabe apprentice - but she still scowled at Henry when her father caught her gaze and waved her over.
"You must be lost," she greeted the grinning boy, who somehow leaned back against the sofa while keeping his posture ramrod straight.
"I invited him," her father replied. "You said you didn't have plans tonight, so I found plans for you." He motioned to Henry, who smirked, but Weiss bit the inside of her cheek before forcing an innocent smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Henry wants to take you out to dinner, and I thought that'd be a good way for you to get to know each other."
Weiss pointedly avoided Henry's gaze, knowing that she would launch a verbal assault on his haircut if she caught another glimpse of his smug face. She studied her father instead, searching for a hint that she could talk her way out of this. Finding nothing but a cold, calculated gaze with a hint of challenge thrown in, she shut her mouth and nodded.
"We can go to Tavo's," Henry piped up. "Your dad said you like it there."
"Sure. Let's go."
His brow rose, and he glanced at Weiss' father before turning back to her.
"Don't you, like, need to change first?"
"Are you saying there's something wrong with what I'm wearing?" she shot back. His eyes instantly widened and he glanced at her father again, who watched with a furrowed brow.
"N-no! Of course not. You look - hot, as usual. Or beautiful, I mean. I just thought - but if you're ready, I am, too."
Already dreading an evening with the bumbling idiot, she nodded to her dad and left the room. Henry scrambled after her, but she held her head high and kept her eyes trained forward as she stalked to the front door.
"Maybe we can see a movie or something after."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," she told him before motioning for him to open the front door. He lunged forward to do so, making her roll her eyes as she headed into the courtyard. A black SUV with black rims, black tinted windows, and two giant men in black suits and black sunglasses waited at the top of the driveway.
"You don't need to worry about that whole kidnapping thing while you're with me," Henry added. "I'm more than capable of keeping you safe."
"You are or they are?" She pointedly nodded to the security detail but didn't bother waiting for his response. She dipped her chin to the man who opened the door and slipped into the passenger seat. Henry shooed the man away in order to close the door himself, which was so mind-numbingly pointless that she sighed while waiting for the rest of them to get into the vehicle.
"To Tavo's, dudes," Henry directed his hired goons. "We've got a lady to impress."
"Don't ever call me a fucking 'lady' again," Weiss scolded him. His eyes briefly widened - and she would swear that the cough from the passenger seat was actually a laugh - but he quickly regained his 'charm.'
"Come on, Weiss. This'll be fun! Just the two of us, some great food, maybe a few drinks…we can hit up a club after if you're into dancing. Or I can take you back to my place and show you some things I've been working on."
He waggled his brow, but she just scoffed and turned her shoulder to him. She stared out the window instead, watching the streets slide past and wondering if there was a higher power that she could coerce into striking him dead on the spot. Then she remembered that she did have a higher power, of sorts, and pulled out her phone.
'What's the penalty for filing a false police report?' she typed to Ruby. She knew that Ruby was working but, fortunately, a response arrived shortly after.
'Misdemeanor. Fine and up to five days in jail.'
Compared to suffering through an hour with Henry's sniveling face, the punishment sounded reasonable. Not that she would ever serve a single day in jail, but she would gladly pay any fine if it got her out of this.
'What if I told you I'm being dragged to dinner without my consent?' she responded.
'What restaurant?'
"Where'd you say we're going again?" she asked without turning away from the screen.
"Tavo's."
Weiss hummed and sent the name to Ruby. With that plan set in motion, she crossed her hands over her purse and smiled.
"You like Tavo's, right?" Henry prodded, egregiously misreading her mood. "It's one of my dad's favorite places, too. He's never taken me, but I've gone a few times on my own. Just to see what it's like, you know."
"Why don't we just not talk for a while? As in, for the entirety of this ride and all of dinner."
Henry sputtered for almost a full minute, clearly not used to being told to shut the hell up, before scoffing at her.
"I don't get why you won't give me a shot. I'm being really reasonable here -"
"How is forcing me to dinner being reasonable?"
"I asked last time."
"And I said no. Forcing someone to do something isn't how you get them to like you." Weiss' thoughts flitted to Ruby, but they flitted away when Henry crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child.
"Well, your dad thinks this will work -"
"And you know what every girl wants? A guy who spends all his time kissing her dad's ass. I'm beginning to think you just like how it tastes."
The driver definitely laughed this time but covered it with another cough when Henry glared at him. Henry then turned that glare on Weiss.
"I'm not kissing his ass - we're forming a strategic partnership. Once that's done, my dad said he'll let me run my own business. What do you do?"
"I watch shitheads like you think they'll succeed in life only to wind up in prison."
She batted her eyes in the face of Henry's scowl and, upon spotting the Tavo's sign through the window, gathered her purse and let herself out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped. The bodyguard from the passenger seat closed the door for her while she headed into the restaurant on her own.
The spacious entryway crawled with guests waiting to be seated. The host answered the phone and jotted down notes while simultaneously handing a stack of menus to one of the servers and gesturing to a couple waiting to be seated. The dining room buzzed with pleasant conversation, with every table occupied and what looked like a dozen waiters sweeping in between.
"Did you make a reservation?" she asked Henry when he finally joined her.
"Uh…no?"
"You've been on a date before, right?"
"Of course I have." He waved off the question and puffed out his chest. "Don't worry. I'll get us a table in no time."
While he went to speak to the host, Weiss rolled her eyes and waited near the door. That was the perfect spot to watch him try - and fail - to charm, then bribe, the host into seating them earlier than the rest of the waiting parties. Once he had thoroughly made a fool of himself, she walked over and smiled at the man who had just earned her respect.
"Hi Dean," she greeted him. His expression instantly brightened.
"Miss Schnee! Welcome back. Hold on, let me get your table ready." He held up one finger before dashing into the dining room, leaving her smirking at Henry.
"You were saying?"
Before Henry could even try to save a little face, Ruby arrived. And nothing garnered a room's attention quite like a police officer entering it. Especially in the fitted uniform with a badge pinned to the chest and a gun holstered in plain sight. Weiss had spent her entire life casually avoiding the men and women in uniform, but tonight she smiled and waved Ruby over.
"Hey," Ruby said, her silver eyes glancing over Henry before focusing on Weiss. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. You're just in time." When Dean returned and grabbed two menus, Weiss smiled sweetly at Henry. "Thanks for the ride," she told him before looping an arm through Ruby's and motioning for Dean to lead them to their table. She only took a step before Henry grabbed her arm, which he then released the instant a displeased growl slipped from Ruby's lips.
"What are you doing?" he hissed at Weiss instead.
"What does it look like? Ditching you."
"For a fucking cop? What's your dad going to think?"
"He's not going to think anything because you're not going to tell him," she hissed back. When he scoffed, she added, "If you do, you're only proving that you're an ass-kissing daddy's boy without a spine."
His scowl said all she needed to know, but she couldn't help but lean a little closer and whisper, "Besides…she has a better ass than you." Throwing in a wink for good measure, she tugged Ruby closer, savoring that dumb scratchy uniform rubbing against her arm, and left Henry standing there slack-jawed and cheeks flushed with anger.
"Thank god you're here," she breathed out as they followed the host through the maze of tables.
"Uh, what's going on? Who was that?"
"The prodigal son of Charles Marigold."
"The drug lord?"
Ruby glanced over her shoulder, but Weiss huffed.
"Alleged drug lord," she corrected as Dean placed menus on an intimate booth in the corner of the restaurant. "Thank you," she told him while taking a seat with her back to the entrance. Ruby glanced around, looking a bit like a fish out of water compared to the other diners, before sitting across from Weiss.
"Why's the son of an 'alleged' drug lord taking you to dinner?"
"Because my father's got it in his head that it's a match made in heaven."
"Oh." Ruby's brow creased, and she actually ground her jaw together before asking, "And what do you think?"
That was the first time anyone bothered asking for Weiss' opinion on Henry Marigold. And when she looked at Ruby, with those stunning silver eyes and that effortlessly attractive brunette hair, she was glad that Ruby was the one who bothered.
"I'd rather lick the backseat of a police car." Ruby's brow briefly rose, and then her nose wrinkled in that adorable way it did, and Weiss smiled. "Now, want something to eat?" she added, motioning to the menus. "On me, of course. Well, not on me, on me. Unless that's something you're into…"
"I'm on duty."
"That means you can't stop and eat?"
"That's exactly what it means," Ruby replied with a laugh. "I'm only here because -" She paused and eventually shook her head. "I don't know why I'm here."
"You're here because, despite your misgivings, you can't stay away from me. There's just something about me that draws you in."
Weiss flashed what many would consider a dangerous smile, but Ruby stared at her - through her, almost - and eventually nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."
The admission, which no one in their right mind should ever make, caught Weiss so off guard that she could only gape while Ruby slid out of the booth.
"I should get back to work though."
"Let me come with you," Weiss blurted out, but Ruby chuckled and shook her head.
"You can't do that."
"Why not? Don't people do those - what're they called…ride-alongs?"
She knew that she struck gold when Ruby scrunched up her face in the cutest display of confusion and serious contemplation. Ruby could say no and, after the experience with Henry, Weiss might be inclined to accept that response - for tonight. But then Ruby pursed her lips and started nodding as if the hasty suggestion was actually a good idea.
"I have to get the Chief's permission first."
"Pretty sure I know her answer." Weiss waited for Ruby's smile before grabbing her bag and sliding out of the booth. "Come on then," she said. "You can call her on the way out."
Ruby chuckled but pulled out her phone while they returned to the front of the restaurant. "I won't need that table after all," Weiss told Dean on the way. "But I appreciate your consideration." She shook his hand, slipping him several folded bills, and followed Ruby outside. Ruby finished up her phone call with an, "Understood. Of course," before hanging up and grinning.
"She's totally fine with it."
"I'm really, truly shocked." When Ruby laughed, Weiss smiled and gladly followed Ruby to the patrol car in front of the restaurant.
"Does anything actually shock you?" Ruby asked while getting into the driver's seat. Weiss had already opened her own door and slipped into the vehicle before realizing what she was doing. Ruby's grin suggested that the action hadn't gone unnoticed - Weiss hadn't even complained - but neither of them commented on it.
"Not usually," Weiss answered while settling into the seat. "It'd have to be really unexpected, I guess."
Ruby nodded and, with a smile lingering on her lips, drove away from the restaurant. The sky had darkened as the sun faded below the horizon, but plenty of cars were on the road and people meandered the sidewalks or waited for buses. The police scanner provided a steady backdrop of voices which, from the cadence, suggested a mellow evening.
"Why didn't I think of this earlier?" Weiss sighed, her voice too wistful for her liking as she leaned an elbow against the window.
"Because you have better things to do than sit in a car with me all day?"
Weiss huffed but stopped short of pointing out how untrue that was. Instead, she looked Ruby up and down while Ruby's eyes remained on the road. The thrill of having Ruby's company was still present, but a sense of comfort and familiarity had somehow found its way into the mix. Being around Ruby was…easy. Not boring easy - effortless easy. Nice easy.
"So you just drive around waiting for something to happen?" she asked as they crossed another intersection.
"Basically."
"By yourself? That sounds dull as hell." When a soft laugh slipped through Ruby's lips, Weiss asked, "Shouldn't you have a partner or something?"
"You're my partner tonight." Weiss hated the way her heart responded to that simple statement, but Ruby shrugged and added, "It depends on the day. Sometimes I'll work with Yang, but for patrol I'm usually alone."
"Do you like working with your sister?"
"Yeah! She's the best. We have a blast when we pair up."
"You sound close."
"We are. After my mom died…" Ruby trailed off and glanced at Weiss before sighing. "She practically raised me. So yeah, we're close."
The glimpse into Ruby's childhood felt like a treasure, so Weiss cherished it. She cherished it…but she also wanted more. She wanted to know what type of childhood Ruby had, what the loss of her mother had been like, how she recovered and grew into the steadfast, morally grounded young woman that she was today.
"What about you?" Ruby asked, glancing at Weiss while waiting at a red light. "Are you and your brother and sister close?"
"We are." Weiss would typically end the conversation there, but she smiled thinking about Winter and Whitley. "We're all really different, but…we leaned on each other growing up. No one else understood what we were going through."
"I can only imagine…"
Ruby sounded almost…sad…but Weiss couldn't fathom why anyone would feel sorry for her. Ruby didn't elaborate either - she tilted her ear toward the scanner while a dispatcher's calm, methodic voice relayed a message.
"There we go." Ruby picked up her radio and said, "This is Officer Rose. I'm right around the corner and can assist."
The dispatcher confirmed the message while Ruby made a hasty lane change to turn onto the next street. "Don't get too excited," she said before Weiss even considered it. "It's just a business requesting help moving someone out of their doorstep."
"'Moving someone out of their doorstep?'" Weiss repeated only to understand what that meant when Ruby parked on the side of the street and motioned to the building beside them. The street-level storefront advertised a variety of home decorations while lights and curtains in the upstairs windows suggested apartments. Everything looked clean and tidy…except for the dirty, disheveled man and several bags of garbage blocking the store's entrance.
"Are you going to arrest him?" she asked as Ruby unbuckled her seatbelt.
"He's homeless, Weiss. Not a criminal."
"You were going to arrest me."
Ruby briefly froze then snuck Weiss a little smile and said, "You're not homeless." When Weiss huffed, Ruby got out of the car and issued a commanding, "Stay here," before shutting the door and walking over.
A middle-aged woman appeared from the stairwell leading to the apartments and spoke to Ruby from the safety of that alcove. Ruby listened patiently and nodded frequently before approaching the man. While the middle-aged woman and Weiss watched, Ruby knelt down and spoke to him. He shook his head a lot and made some jerky hand motions, but Ruby always let him finish his disjointed sentences before responding.
Another police car pulled up then, the headlights momentarily blinding Weiss in the side mirror. A male officer soon joined Ruby, but his posture instantly rubbed Weiss the wrong way. He remained standing, hands on his hips, and spoke down to the man - or he spoke down to Ruby. Weiss' jaw clenched at either answer, and she would have given him a piece of her mind if Ruby hadn't told her to stay put.
Besides, this was Ruby's job - Weiss should stay out of the way. She angrily watched instead, being reminded of all the reasons why she didn't like the police. Most police, at least, since Ruby wasn't the typical officer. She was patient. She was compassionate. And she treated the homeless man with respect that neither the caller nor the other officer even considered.
Eventually, another car pulled up and a woman in casual business attire joined the burgeoning group in front of the store. Ruby and the other officer deferred to the woman, who spent some time talking to the man before he started gathering his belongings, including what Weiss had assumed to be bags of trash.
As the man began moving down the street, Ruby shared several words with the woman, then the other officer, before returning to the car. "Alright," she said while buckling herself in. "Social services will take it from here."
"They'll help him?" Weiss asked, eyeing the woman and second officer as Ruby drove away from the scene.
"They'll try. There's only so much they can do sometimes, and never enough money to do it with."
There wasn't a drop of judgment in Ruby's voice, for which Weiss was grateful. At the same time, that meant the kernel of guilt in her chest was all her doing.
"They'll at least get him a warm place to sleep tonight."
"That's good," she murmured. Surprisingly, she meant it, too. Silence drifted over them as they rejoined traffic cutting across Vale, destination unknown. At least, she had no idea where they were going, but Ruby switched lanes and turned onto new streets as if she had someplace in mind. The shopping district fell behind them before long, replaced by apartment buildings, corner stores, and hole-in-the-wall eateries that probably served more food poisoning than edible meals.
Darkness shrouded the view with every passing second, either due to the lack of adequate street lighting or to the sun having disappeared from the sky. Before she asked where they were going and why, however, Ruby pulled into a cracked, empty parking lot behind a liquor store, turned off the engine, and cut all the lights.
"What're you doing?" Weiss finally asked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the low light.
"What do you think?"
When Ruby grinned, Weiss' mind reeled with possibilities.
"Making my dreams come true?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Ruby teased, laughing now. "We're keeping a lookout, and we can't exactly do that with a neon sign pointing us out."
Weiss made a disappointed face but stared outside at the spookier streets. After a moment passed, Ruby glanced over.
"Do you really dream about me?"
"That's between me and my subconscious. Unless you'd like to take a stab at acting it out with me." When Weiss batted her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised when Ruby held her gaze. Those silver eyes glinted in the darkness, looking like beautiful little moons taking Weiss in.
"I think I can guess how it started."
The moment Ruby's tongue darted across her lips, Weiss' heart jumped into overdrive. Weiss considered making Ruby spell it out for her, but she greatly preferred actions over words in this situation. Just as she started leaning toward the middle of the car - Ruby leaned in, too - Ruby's gaze flitted outside the windshield.
"Ah crap…" she sighed while leaning away, much to Weiss' dismay.
"What is it?" Weiss asked, following Ruby's gaze. A young man in a black hoodie loitered across the street, hands shoved into the front of his sweatshirt, while another man hesitantly approached him. After sharing a few words, they huddled closer, both of them looking over their shoulders once.
"Well, that doesn't look suspicious…" Weiss mused while their conversation continued.
"Come on, guys…don't do it."
Despite Ruby's plea, the second man handed over several bills, which the first pocketed before revealing something in a small plastic bag. Ruby sighed when the money exchanged hands. "Stay here," she ordered. "I'm serious. Don't leave the car under any circumstances."
Ruby's firm tone said that this was a line Weiss shouldn't cross, so she nodded and watched Ruby grab her radio and quietly leave the car. Weiss' heart was already racing, so she had no idea how Ruby looked so calm while sticking to the shadows to sneak up on the pair. Neither appeared to be armed, but a gun could be hidden anywhere in their baggy clothes.
Despite Weiss' heart threatening to pound out of her chest, the confrontation lasted mere seconds. The buyer spotted Ruby first and split. The seller reacted too late, spinning around as if he might run but freezing when Ruby already had her weapon on him. He hung his head and did as Ruby instructed instead, and she had him in handcuffs, leading him back to the car, in no time.
Ruby marched him to the back seat while she spoke into her radio, relaying something to the dispatcher. Weiss watched them in the side mirror - the young man's face, especially, as his eyes darted in every which direction. She knew that look, and she opened her mouth to shout some sort of warning, but he had already made a break for it.
Without thinking, she shoved her door open in front of him. Hands cuffed behind his back, he could do nothing but slam into it, his head clanking off of the door frame like a pinball before he crashed to the pavement. Ruby was on him a second later - not that he seemed keen on going anywhere as he groaned at the massive red mark on his forehead.
"I didn't leave the car," Weiss quickly pointed out. Ruby grinned at her so brightly that her heart damn near popped out of her chest and found its way to hell. Ruby didn't respond though - she lugged the guy to his feet and began reading him his rights. Weiss, meanwhile, watched in the mirror, her heart racing but a smile refusing to leave her lips. Before long, he sat in the backseat as they made their way to the police station.
"Sorry," Ruby said. "I was hoping not to drag you to the station…"
"I don't mind. That was pretty exciting, actually." Weiss smiled at Ruby before glancing at their company. "How's your head feeling?"
"Fuck off, bitch."
Weiss' brow rose while Ruby chuckled.
"I wouldn't mess with her if I were you," Ruby warned - too late, since he had already lobbed the opening volley.
"You think you're a real badass, huh?" Weiss smirked at the angry-red spot where his forehead would hopefully be permanently dented before turning back to Ruby. "What was he selling?"
When Ruby held up the evidence bag containing his 'wares,' Weiss peered at the small, clear crystals inside and snorted.
"You're selling this?" She held it up so that he could see it. "Holy shit, Ruby. This shit would literally kill someone." When Ruby's brow pinched together, Weiss glared at him. "You cook this in your bathroom?"
"Fuck you."
"If anyone's fucking me, it's her." She jerked her head in Ruby's direction before scowling at him. "And you have a lot to learn. Honestly, you're lucky to be going to jail instead of being shot for selling in someone else's territory. The Royals get really pissed about that." When his eyes widened, she rolled hers. "Didn't think of that, did you, bigshot?"
He didn't have a comeback, so she huffed and turned forward.
"Do I even want to know how you're a drug expert?" Ruby asked.
"I took a chem class in college." Weiss shrugged before sneaking Ruby a coy smile. "That's how I know that you and me could be quite…explosive, if you catch my drift."
"Pretty sure everyone caught that."
When Ruby chuckled, Weiss sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride to the station. Once parked, Ruby helped their wannabe drug lord out of the backseat and escorted him into the building.
"I need to book him and fill out some paperwork," she explained before nodding to her desk in the main office area. "Wait here for me?"
"Only if you hurry," Weiss teased, but she had no qualms about reclaiming the horrid chair beside Ruby's desk. From there, she watched Ruby drop off the young man in one of the holding cells before typing at one of the nearby computers.
Several minutes passed before she noticed that something was missing: impatience. She wasn't frustrated or annoyed either. She was shockingly content to sit and watch Ruby work, and it had nothing to do with how her night could have turned out if Ruby hadn't shown up to rescue her.
Before she went down the road of wondering why Ruby saved her from a horrible evening, Chief Fowler entered the room, spotted her, and nodded. Rather than say hello, however, the woman went over to Ruby. The way her gaze flitted to Weiss suggested the conversation involved her, a frustrating realization, but a more pressing concern showed up in the form of a tall, blonde officer with an obnoxiously nice chest.
Unfortunately, Yang noticed Weiss. Then she glanced at Ruby, finding Ruby still locked in conversation, and slunk over. Knowing a confrontation when she saw one, and knowing that she couldn't exactly tell Ruby's sister to fuck off, Weiss squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up.
"Didn't realize we were catching big fish tonight." Yang perched on the edge of the desk so that she looked down at Weiss. Weiss glanced at her prosthetic arm - the metal fingers glaringly obvious at this distance - but realized the mistake when Yang moved it out of view. "What're you here for?" Yang added, her tone taking on an edge. "Grand larceny? Embezzlement? Money laundering?"
"None of the above. I'm waiting for Ruby."
When Weiss nodded in Ruby's direction, Yang glanced that way.
"Still playing that angle, huh?" Weiss scoffed, so Yang leaned closer and lowered her voice. "You might as well give up now. She's too good to be dealing with someone like you."
"I agree."
Yang's brow furrowed, but the surprise quickly wore off.
"I don't trust you. You're up to something."
"I'm not 'up to' anything." When Yang narrowed her eyes, Weiss rolled hers. "Fine. If you must know, I'm trying very hard to get into her pants. If that's a crime, go ahead and arrest me." Weiss pressed her wrists together and held them out to Yang, who looked briefly caught between surprise and wanting to punch Weiss in the face.
"Why?"
"'Why?' Because she's sexy as hell, that's why. Just look at her ass in those pants and tell me you don't want that grinding on top of you." Weiss knew she struck paydirt when Yang's nose wrinkled. "God, she's such a good kisser, too…so gentle yet commanding…it makes me wonder what else she can do with that tongue of hers. I bet she can make my dreams come true all night long."
Weiss smirked up at Yang, knowing she just crossed so many lines that Yang didn't know what to do with her.
"What's wrong with you?" Yang spit out before stalking over to Ruby. Now that the conversation with Chief Fowler was over, Ruby had to listen to her sister, who said something that made her brow lift and her gaze move to Weiss. Weiss smiled and waved her fingers, but Ruby patted Yang's shoulder before heading across the room.
"I hear you're making friends."
"You know me. So friendly."
"You couldn't try a little harder for my sister?" Ruby asked, her exasperation forcing Weiss' frown.
"I did. I'm pretty proud that I got through a full conversation without insulting her."
"You told her you want to fuck me instead."
The blunt response had the opposite reaction that Ruby intended as a thrill traveled down Weiss' spine.
"I need you to repeat that…" Weiss hummed, lightly grabbing the front of Ruby's shirt. "Because you saying 'fuck' does things to me."
"What doesn't do things to you?" Ruby huffed before motioning for Weiss to follow her out of the department. Weiss scoffed but, after a second, raised her brow and hurried to catch up.
"Wait. You think I'm a slut?"
"Can you blame me?" Ruby innocently raised her hands as they walked outside, and dammit if Weiss didn't smile.
"I am not a slut," she insisted. "You just…bring out that side of me."
"The horny side?"
"Careful, Officer. I'll have you kidnapped in your sleep." The retort lacked any teeth, but Ruby's smile fell. "Too soon?" Weiss asked, but Ruby mustered a small smile before unlocking the police car.
"Let's just get out of here, huh?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Weiss nodded to her door, but Ruby playfully tapped her chin before saying, "Nope!" and getting into the car. The engine started seconds later, and Ruby rolled down the passenger window to ask, "You coming or not?"
"First, you call me a slut, then you expect me to open my own fucking door?" Weiss scoffed before spotting another officer passing nearby. "Hey, you. Banana head." She snapped her fingers for his attention and, once she had it, pointed to the door.
"Don't do it, Jaune!" Ruby called from inside the vehicle. But the blonde boy looked at Weiss, who made a 'get on with it' gesture, and opened the door. Weiss smirked while slipping into the passenger seat and felt even more vindicated when he closed the door behind her.
"You're a pushover, Jaune, but I love you anyway!" Ruby said, waving to the confused officer before driving out of the parking lot.
"Friend of yours?" Weiss asked as they rejoined the city streets.
"Yup! We were in the same cadet class."
Weiss pursed her lips, chafing at the friendly display but too proud to admit it. "He was our chaperone," she commented instead. "At the soup kitchen." When Ruby smiled at her - another one of those too bright and sincere smiles that landed directly on her heart - she asked, "What?"
"I don't know. You're just…surprising sometimes."
"You mean all the time."
"I do," Ruby replied, laughing now. "I guess I'd never expect you to remember something like that. Makes me feel a little special."
"You should feel special that I even remember your name."
"Then how should I feel about all the other stuff?"
Weiss paused at Ruby's curious glance, understanding that Ruby might be asking more than what the question seemed to entail.
"Extremely special," she answered honestly. Ruby rewarded her with a blinding smile before focusing on the road.
"My shift's over, but I figured I'd take you home."
"Why don't you take me back to your place instead?" Weiss suggested. Ruby paused for a whole second before taking her next breath.
"It's probably best to get you home."
If Weiss hadn't already had such a great time, she would have pressed the issue. But the night had far exceeded her expectations - not that she had any expectations as soon as Henry hijacked her evening. She also didn't want to be like him and force Ruby into plans against her will. Letting Ruby take the reins was a new approach, and honestly not one that came naturally to Weiss with anyone outside of her father, but…it was different.
As was the light conversation they made on the drive home, full of jokes and plenty of flirty remarks. Something had changed between them. When and how and what actually changed would be impossible to pinpoint, but she felt it just as clearly as she felt the cool ocean breeze on her cheeks while Ruby walked her to the front door. Memories of their first and second kisses played in her mind, but she felt a strange sense of pride when she turned toward Ruby and realized that Ruby was anxious. And not 'anxious about a kiss' anxious.
"What's wrong?" she asked, resisting the urge to grab one of Ruby's hands to stop her from twisting them together.
"I just got some, uh, bad news. For you." Ruby grimaced as if already apologizing for something, but Weiss tilted her head and waited for an explanation. "Uh, I don't really know how to tell you this, but…the guys who tried to kidnap you cut a deal with the DA. They claimed to have connections to some drug ring or something, and - yeah, basically, they're getting out."
Weiss frowned, but not for the reason that Ruby suspected.
"Did your boss really make you tell me that instead of telling me herself?"
"She said it'd be better coming from me since we seem to have a…'special' relationship."
If they didn't have a 'special' relationship, Chief Fowler just set Ruby up to be chewed out. And that made Weiss very, very angry.
"What a bitch. She should deliver her own fucking news instead of forcing you to be the bad guy -"
"Hey." Ruby touched Weiss' hand, instantly deflating Weiss' anger. "It's fine. She just doesn't want to piss off your dad." When Weiss crossed her arms and looked away, knowing better than most how important it was to keep her father happy, Ruby continued. "They'll be monitored, of course, but still…they should be rotting in a cell for the next decade, not getting out to do who-knows-what."
Ruby scowled at the thought. The expression was so unlike her, but Weiss' heart swooned as if her lifelong goal was to collect these different pieces of Ruby's personality. Ruby's news didn't upset her though - it hardly even surprised her.
"The DA's long-time friends with the Hacketts," she explained with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm not surprised he has…different objectives."
"Yeah, well, politics shouldn't matter when it comes to someone's well-being."
The curt response struck a note deep in Weiss' stomach.
"Oh, I like this side of you," she purred, reaching up and trailing her fingers through Ruby's hair.
"Weiss." Weiss' attention snapped to Ruby's eyes when Ruby grabbed her hand. "This is serious."
"So some assholes are getting out of prison and my life might be in danger. None of that scares me anymore."
"I'm not saying you're scared. I just think -" Ruby glanced at the front door and lowered her voice. "I just think you should lay low for a bit."
"So I should stop living my life because some dickheads tried to kidnap me?"
"That's exactly what you should do."
Weiss scoffed, but Ruby squeezed her hand and melted her heart all over the imported stone courtyard. "Weiss, you know that people have…issues…with your family. If they think they can…resolve…things through you, they will."
"And that doesn't scare me."
"But it scares me." When Weiss' brow pinched at the sincere remark, Ruby sighed and stared down at their joined hands. "I don't want you to get hurt. So please just…stay home? You're safe here."
Ruby cared about her - the pleading silver eyes made that obvious. And Weiss wanted to give in to whatever Ruby asked for. To surrender because that was what Ruby wanted, and giving Ruby what she wanted didn't sound so horrible. But there was a fundamental flaw in what Ruby asked for, so Weiss tilted her chin up instead of giving in.
"Will you be staying here with me?"
"What? Why would I -?"
"Because if you're not, then I'm not either. You think I'm just going to sit in this prison while you're out gallivanting with other women?"
Weiss waved her hand through the air, indignant at the mere thought of it, but Ruby responded with the most amused look.
"Clearly, you don't know what my sex life looks like."
"Not due to lack of trying," Weiss quipped before sliding a finger beneath Ruby's chin. "Would you like to describe it for me?"
"I'd like to keep you alive."
"Ruby, it's fine," she insisted. "They already failed once - I shot them for fuck's sake. If they possess a single brain cell, they'll be grateful they can still hobble around on their fucking shattered knees and move on."
"Ok, fine." Ruby waved both hands in front of her. The moment Weiss smirked, however, Ruby leveled her with a stern look. "But you don't go anywhere without me, got it? I don't care how many hired goons your dad has. Until we know what these guys are gonna do, I don't trust anyone."
"Let me get this straight…you want me to stay here until you're off work…then you'll take me wherever I want to go?"
"Yes."
Weiss grinned at Ruby's affirmative nod. She hadn't even tried to set a trap, yet this worked out better than she could have imagined.
"Ruby…" she purred while wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. "If you want me all to yourself, you can just say so."
"I want you to stay safe."
"Uh huh…" Weiss teased before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Ruby's lips. Every ounce of her desire returned, but she pulled away after that one sweet kiss and smiled while brushing a strand of Ruby's hair behind her ear. "You'll come get me tomorrow then?" she asked softly as Ruby's eyes searched hers. "I'm sure I'll want to go somewhere."
"I'll come over as soon as I'm off work."
Weiss hummed at the unspoken promise, but her heart positively soared when Ruby snuck another quick kiss before stepping away. "I'll see you soon, ok?" she asked and, after Weiss nodded, headed back to the car.
The loss of Ruby's warmth let the chill return, so Weiss walked inside with a smile refusing to leave her lips. They could have shared another fiery, passionate kiss, but that gentle, intimate moment was somehow just as electrifying. Every fiber of her being felt giddy and alive, and she knew that she would spend the rest of the night - possibly well into the night - replaying every instant over and over again.
Tomorrow, remarkably, could be even better.