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"If you don't deserve to marry them and you know you don't deserve to marry them, then you shouldn't be marrying them," Taiyang informed me.

"Not even if they beg me to? Their heads are on straighter than mine. If they think it's a good idea, then who am I to argue?"

"You sound like a dog," he accused. "Why would I be happy about my little girl marrying some dog?"

"Well, I am a dog. But I'm her dog. And I'm doin' it because she asked me to. And I would do anything for her. Even if I personally don't think it's a good idea. I didn't think this trio was a good idea. But she begged me to try and robbed me of my free will. I had to. And you don't have to address me like you're not also a dog. Do you? Out of you and Summer Rose, who was the person and who crawled on all fours?"

Taiyang leaned back and sighed. "Cruel of you…" he murmured.

"But not inaccurate. Is it? And it's not my fault that it's the truth. Did you deserve her? Or was she so fantastic you didn't deserve to pray for her? When she came for you did you have a choice in sireing Ruby? Or did she tell you to come and, like a dog, you did?"

He looked away. "I couldn't help it," he nodded. "I didn't have any choice really. I never really did. Not with Summer or with Raven."

"So do you think I have any choice when she says she wants to marry me and wants four kids?" I held out my arms in an enormous shrug.

"You're supposed to be a man," Taiyang said.

"I'm not. I never was. Ruby knows that. Or I've told her so many times she's forbidden me from saying it anymore. Qrow didn't like me around her. He thinks it's dangerous because of my family. And it is. And Ruby knows that. She is so cruelly merciful."

"She's sweet like that… Summer was as well. That's where she gets it from."

"And here I am hoping for a daughter just like Ruby," I rubbed the back of my head. "I'm over here praying for my heart to be broken."

"A good woman is like that," he agreed. "On one hand I hope… this awful thing I'm going through right now… some kid does to you someday with your daughters. My granddaughters. On the other I really wouldn't wish this on another person."

"I'll look after Ruby and my daughters," I vowed.

"Lookin' after 'em is easy. Letting them go is hard."

"I hope I'm fuckin' dead before that happens. Stone cold gone."

He bobbed his head in agreement. "I mean… it's beautiful. Watching her grow into the woman she's supposed to be. It's so beautiful I can hardly watch it happen. But I do have to watch it happen. And part of that is you. You're the man she wants to marry. You have a role in it too. And it's so terrible I want to laugh and so beautiful I want to cry. And I'm just left sitting here feeling it all. What am I going to do now? She doesn't need me anymore? She's the reason I'm alive and kicking. And she doesn't need me anymore. And I can't attach myself to her like a parasite. I can't. I have to set her free. And part of that is watching her run into your arms and watching her run towards heart break and I can't stop it. It's agony and wonder unlike anything in the world. And all I can do is watch while my brain melts."

"Sometimes life is like that, I think," I agreed. "With the awe and horror mixing together in unmerciful quantities. But what can we do about it? We just have to lay back and take it. Or let it take us at any rate. It's so much bigger than we are. It's huge. Ruby has a heart bigger and stronger than my whole soul. That's why I'm just a dog compared to her. The real reason. Not just because I do what she tells me to do."

"Sounds painful," he nodded.

"I want to claw my eyes out but I want to stare at her forever and I deserve neither. Was it the same for you?"

"Largely. I couldn't handle it. Summer was too good to me. I didn't deserve it. And she left me with this shining gem of a daughter. I didn't deserve Ruby either. But… my time as her light has ended. You're her sunshine now. Isn't that right?"

"My turn. My turn to not deserve her."

Ruby walked in carrying a box from the kitchen. She looked between us. "What are you two talking about?"

"You," I answered. What else did me and this old man have in common? I chuckled. You, Ruby Rose. Or Ruby Strife, rather.

Taiyang sighed heavily again.

"I was just giving this kid my blessing. He asked for it and you trust him. That's good enough for me."

"Oh, well that's wonderful. I'm glad you two can get along. And you don't have to worry, dad, Cloud's good material. He's a wonderful person."

"You wouldn't be marrying him if he wasn't," Taiyang agreed.

I took the box from Ruby on basic principle. She looked up at me with a cocked head as I did. I walked out of the house and put the box in the trunk of Fenrir.

"-oh? Yang? Well she's with Blake. They're dating but I don't know how far along they really are with it. They aren't pressed for time like I am with Cloud."

"But you're not rushing in?" Taiyang pleaded.

I hesitated by the door.

"No, I've dated Cloud for almost three years. I trust him totally and I've been with Weiss for almost two. Longer if you count how long I've been on a team with her. But I get the sense it's not Weiss that has you worried about me."

I leaned against the door.

"Well… he talked a little about his family. And the missions he's doing. I hear you say you love him and trust him. But… I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'll be fine dad. Swing by our house some time. Okay? I love you."

"I love you too sweet girl," Taiyang returned. "Bye. Drive safe."

"I will. See you soon!" Ruby walked out of the house and shut the door behind her. I unfolded my arms and stared at her.

"What?" She asked when she caught me looking.

"I just… like looking at you," I murmured.

"So what did you and my dad really talk about?"

"I told you, you." I nodded at her with my words. "I mean, a little about Raven and Ozpin and missions for the council. But it was mostly about you."

"Like what about me?" She pressed.

"Well, how many kids you want. How hard it's gonna be for me to be a teacher, a hunter anda a father. We talked about how I didn't really need his permission to marry you. I mean, if he could stop you from doing what you wanted, then he would have stopped you from leaving for Anima. Then we talked about how I killed for you and almost died when the Scorpion came for you. He talked about how scared he was."

"What did you say?"

"I told him his time was over. I told him it was my turn to take care of you."

"Were you mean?"

"Maybe… I'm a selfish beast. And you belong to me now."

"Be nice to him."

"Sure. No problem."

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"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la-la la-la; why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song." Weiss hummed lowly as she worked on mixing her coffee.

"La-la la-la la-la; haven't we had enough of this? I will come right out and tell you; it's been all just hit or miss; don't you dare to think adieu; la-la la-la la-la."

"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la la-la; why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song."

I reached out behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. I pulled her close to me and kissed her cheek. She smirked.

"Oh la la-la la-la; I can't give you what you want; beg for me to stay here with you; it's not some far distant taunt; now it's my turn to take in the view; oh la la-la la-la."

She turned around in my arms and I took both her hands in mine and eyed her.

"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la la-lal why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song."

"La-la la-la la-la; aren't you tired of it now? Won't you lay down right beside me? It's not something I will ever allow; touch me with that tender key; ah-la la-la la-la."

I spun her in a little circle like we were dancing as I listened to her. She sounded like a whole orchestra but she was just one woman.

"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la la-lal why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song."

"La-la la-la la-la; I don't want to play it anymore; I think the heart of this place is dead; I'll be right here to give you an encore; the tune of should play to a head; oh-la la-la la-la."

"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la la-lal why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song."

"Sing me a sweet song; la-la la-la la-la; why don't you come along; do do-do do-do do-do do; sing me a sweet song; oh!" She shouted and hit a high note. "Why don't you sing me a sweet song; sing me a sweet song," she finished. She gazed into my eyes expectantly. "Well," she demanded.

"I can't sing," I confessed. "I would but I can't sing."

She laughed and tapped my chest with the back of her hand. She bent forward with her giggles.

"Everything but sing? You can do it all except that?"

"I don't know about everything…" I trailed.

"You can dance, and fight, and lead, and strategize? But not sing? Why not? Singing is easy."

"I don't have it in me. I can't hit high notes and I sound shitty on the low ones."

"It's easy," she waved me off. "You can sing. Of course you can sing. It's easy."

"You make it look easy. That's not the same thing as it actually being easy," I pointed out.

She giggled again. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Oh?" I hummed and ran my hand across her back. "I think flattery works on you. It just has to be done right. You're just specific about how you like it."

"Is it really flattery in that case?" She teased. She splayed her hand against my chest. She gave me a gentle shove that moved me nowhere.

"Perhaps not," I agreed. I pulled her into my chest and drank in her lips. I ran my tongue against the pout of her lips and her hand came up to grace my face with her fingers. She smiled up at me. I cradled her gently in my arms.

"I met Taiyang yesterday. Ruby's dad. I got his blessing to marry her. Which was nice," I murmured.

"Oh? How was that?"

"It was strangely surreal. I mean I killed the guy's first wife and am marrying his daughter. What do you say to the guy who's little girl you're putting it in?"

"Well, not that, certainly."

"So if I went up to your dad and rubbed it in his face that I was banging you, you'd be mad."

"Well, with my dad it's a little bit different."

"Think he'd be uncomfortable? Would it drive him crazy to know I was fuckin' you and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it? That I'm going to get you pregnant and he's totally cut out?"

"He'd be more upset about the family line ending. Which is weird since he wasn't a Schnee by birth. But who cares what he thinks? Let him rot."

"It got me thinking about you a little actually. Meeting Taiyang."

"How so?"

"Well, you want a little girl and a boy…"

"And? Lots of people want both."

"How bad do you want both? Like in vitro bad or do you want to chance it?"

"Well… I never put much thought into it. But I suppose after our first one we'll do in vitro. Unless that's a problem for you. Is it?"

I shook my head. "It's not. I just wanted to know how bad you wanted both. I want to grant your wishes. If I can. It would be my humble pleasure to be your genie."

"Is that all?" She laughed.

"Well, I can't ask for more than that. Can I?"

"But on the subject of getting blessings to marry people… well, I figured since you asked Klein to walk you down the aisle I'd ask for his blessing to marry you. I just figured… you know, instead of your father."

She wrinkled her nose a little bit. "That's sweet of you. You really don't have to."

"I didn't have to ask Taiyang either," I pointed out. "But there's a way to do things if I really mean it. You feel?"

"Not really. You have my permission. You don't need anything else. I'm the first and last stop when it comes to marrying me," she gestured at her body.

"Yeah, I'm not saying that I need his permission. His or Taiyangs. But don't you want his blessing?"

"Like I said, it's sweet that you think that way but I'm the end all be all."

"Oh are you now?" I pressed and pulled her close to me. I gently touched my forehead against hers.

"Pretty much…" she murmured.

"First you're the 'end all be all' then you say 'pretty much.' Which is it? Darling?"

"Well you had to ask me," she purred.

"It was my privilege to ask you," I corrected in a low hum. "Can I ask you again?"

"Why?"

"To rub it in my own face. Teach me a lesson. To pump my fist in the air and say 'yes, I got her. I won her heart.'"

"Does it really mean that much to you?"

"It means everything to me. After all these years. After I started so low as nothing at all. I have you. After I meant nothing to you, I'm going to be your husband. It makes my heart swell. It means more to me than my own eyes. It hurts so bad I want to laugh."

"Well, I suppose you can ask me again... If it means so much to you…" Her eyes flickered from my lips to my eyes. I kissed her again deep and smooth and she panted out her nose in a soft moan against me. Her body hummed where I held her against my chest and wrapped in my aura. I tasted her. It was like a cold, cold coffee or some rich custard pudding.

I swallowed and murmured right against her lips. "Won't you marry me and be mine?" I begged.

She smirked and gave me a quick kiss. "Yes. I will."

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-WG