The apartment that the twins were renting was a small, but cozy affair. It had a single bedroom, a small kitchen, and a living room.
Weiss sat on the couch and looked at the two brothers sitting across from her. They were both wearing identical outfits, a pair of jeans and a black hoodie.
She hadn't really noticed how similar the two of them were until now. The only difference between them was their hair color, Onyx's being a dark black, while Snow's was a pure white.
"So, what now?" She asked.
Onyx shrugged "Well, we can't go anywhere right now. Too dangerous to go wandering at night. We'll have to wait until morning."
She nodded "I see."
The twins shared a glance and then looked at Weiss. "Well, we can't just leave you alone either." Onyx said. "We'll have to keep you with us until you decide to go back to the Schnee mansion."
"...You're not going to try and make me go back?" Weiss asked, surprised.
"Not really causing much of an issue... yet." Snow said slowly, seeming distracted with something on his scroll. "Well, I'll consider it when we have people knocking on the door looking for you."
Weiss smiled, grateful for that. She knew that if they wanted to, the twins could easily force her to return home. But they hadn't. They had let her stay with them, and she was thankful for that.
"Anyways, we should get some rest." Onyx spoke up. "We're gonna have a long day tomorrow."
"Right." Weiss nodded. "I'll sleep on the couch." She offered.
Onyx snorts. "As if we'd force the Schnee princess to suffer through sleeping on the couch." He grins and shakes his head. "Me and Snow will share one of the beds. It'll be just like when we were younger!"
Snow gives him a bit of side-eye. "Shove your feet into my face again and I'll break your legs."
"Hey, that was an accident! Besides, you snore like a chainsaw!" Onyx protested.
"Do not."
"Do too."
"Whatever. Let's just get to bed." Snow rolled his eyes. "Come on, Weiss."
Weiss nodded and stood up.
The bedroom was small, with two beds and a window overlooking the city. She climbed into one of the beds and lay down, while the twins took the other.
There was a bit of a scuffle, before a muffled yelp from one of the twins. She wasn't sure which one. Probably Onyx. She didn't think he'd be able to get one up on Snow for some reason.
She closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep. Her mind was racing, however. She couldn't help but think of all that happened that night.
It was her birthday. Her fifteenth birthday. That was why she was doing the concert in the first place. Her father wouldn't let any chance for publicity go to waste. Not even her birthday was spared from being turned into an opportunity for him to show off his wealth and influence. It was just another day. Just another day where her father would remind her of her duties to the family, of the expectations placed upon her.
Singing though... that was something she enjoyed doing. She was proud of her skills as a singer, and was always happy to show them off, even if it was only another tool for her father.
For her, it was a way through which she could express herself. She was the heiress of the SDC, a face of the company, a symbol. She didn't get to have much of her own. Not her own thoughts, her own opinions, her own choices. But her voice? That was hers. That was something that belonged to her, and no one else. Singing was a way for her to be free, to express herself, let out her emotions, and feel alive. To not feel so trapped, so stifled, so helpless...
She was looking forward to it even. But...then...
Her birthday...ruined once again.
She hadn't even gotten to the stage.
A sigh escaped her lips as she tried to pull away from that line of thought. It didn't take long before she fell asleep.
She wakes to the smell of pancakes and the sounds of voices.
"Come on, Snow, you have to admit that was a good idea."
"Was it now? You nearly killed us, you idiot."
"Eh, we were fine. It's not like you weren't enjoying it."
"..."
"Admit it, you enjoyed it."
"...I suppose it was enjoyable. In a suicidal kind of way."
"See! I knew you'd like it!"
Weiss slowly rises from her bed, yawning. The sun was streaming through the window, and she could hear the sounds of the city.
The twins' voices cut off as soon as she stood up. Onyx was the first to poke his head in the door, glancing around before spotting her.
"Hey, you're awake!" He said, walking into the room. "Breakfast is ready."
She blinked and looked at him, before nodding. "Okay."
She follows him out of the room and into the dining area. There was a small table in the middle of the room, and Snow was sitting at it, reading a book.
"Good morning." He greeted her.
"Good morning." She replied.
The three sat down to eat. Pancakes with maple syrup and butter. There were also bacon strips, eggs, toast, and a variety of other foods.
"Dig in." Onyx told her. "We've got a lot of food."
She looked at the food on the table, and her stomach rumbled.
She hadn't eaten anything last night. With the attack on her concert, and everything else that had happened, she had forgotten to eat.
Still, being who she was, she had her manners, and she wasn't about to just start shoveling food into her mouth. Almost out of habit, her gaze turned critical, checking the plates, the cutlery, the food. She had to make sure everything was in order.
The plates seemed old, but they were clean. The utensils were in decent condition, properly washed, and the food looked...
She paused, blinking as she realized something. "Who..." She hesitates. "Who cooked this?"
"I did." Snow replied, not looking up from his book.
"I helped!" Onyx piped in.
Snow glanced at him "No, you didn't."
"...I helped!" He insisted.
"No, you didn't." Snow repeated. "You just sat there, watching me cook."
"Helped taste test!" Onyx argued.
"That's not helping, that's eating my food." Snow retorted. "I'm docking your share."
Onyx gasps dramatically. "How could you! I trusted you!" He said, before grinning and grabbing a plate. "Nyah, too slow!" He said, and began piling the food onto his plate.
Snow rolls his eyes, but lets him do as he pleases.
Weiss watches the two of them, and a small smile appears on her face. They were so different from each other, and yet they were so alike. They were like two halves of a whole.
She took a bite of the pancakes, and she couldn't stop the hum of satisfaction that escaped her mouth. The food was delicious. Fluffy, buttery and sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. The eggs were scrambled to perfection, the toast was perfectly toasted, and the bacon was crisp and crunchy.
She hadn't expected that, given how...casual the two seemed. She wouldn't have guessed that they were good cooks either, and yet here they were. She was surprised, to say the least. But then, she was finding out that these twins were full of surprises.
"Is it good?" Snow asks, finally looking up from his book. "It's been a while since I cooked for someone other than us."
She nodded "It's delicious." She told him. "You're a very good cook."
Snow nodded and looked back down at his book, though the subtle quirk to the edges of his lips was a good indication he was happy about her compliment. "I'm glad you like it." He said simply, and went back to reading.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Onyx asked, finishing up his own food. "What do we do?"
Weiss frowned and looked at him, stabbing her fork into a piece of pancake. "We?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "We can't exactly just leave you alone. You're a Schnee after all. And we did promise to protect you. We're not going to just abandon you." He grinned. "And besides, it'll prolly be fun to have you around."
She blinked and looked at him, her eyes wide. She hadn't expected that. "Really?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "Why not? It'll be fun. And we could use the company."
"I see..." She said, unsure of how to respond to that. She hadn't expected that. But then again, she wasn't exactly sure what she had been expecting. This wasn't exactly something she was used to.
"We should probably move apartments first." Snow suggested. "The white fang might have figured out we're staying here by now. If we stay here, we'll just be sitting ducks."
Onyx nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." He agreed. "Should we try to mooch off of the general again?"
Snow raised an eyebrow at Onyx. "Do you want to be locked up in an interrogation room again?"
"...No." Onyx muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Not really."
"Then don't ask dumb questions." Snow replied, closing his book and standing up from the table. He grabbed his plate and walked over to the sink, beginning to wash it off.
Weiss watched the two of them, unsure of what to think. This was probably the first time she'd seen someone talking about General Ironwood so casually.
She'd met the General once, back when she was a kid. He was a powerful man, and he'd always seemed so imposing. So stoic and serious. And yet, here these two were, talking about him as if he was just some old friend.
It was...strange.
She shook her head, and went back to eating her food.
She glanced back at the two as she chewed. Snow washing the dishes and Onyx who was now helping (by drying the dishes with a rag and putting them away), working in a perfect sync.
...She couldn't help but blink after a few seconds. First having been distracted by the display and secondly...
"...It really just crossed my mind now, but... why are you two still wearing your hoodies up? Indoors...?" She frowned ever so slightly as she looked at them and they glanced back at her. "...I was a bit distracted yesterday but...you even kept them on while you were sleeping?"
Snow and Onyx shared a look, as if silently asking each other who was going to answer the question. Snow seemed to have won the non verbal argument, because Onyx sighed and spoke up.
"Told ya she'd notice it." He scratched his head and looked back at Weiss "Uhm. Sooo... we just really didn't want to scare you. What with the whole-"
Snow elbowed him with a dry look and Onyx winced. Snow took over and finished explaining. "...With the attack yesterday and everything else, we decided to not...drop any more bombshells on you. Or stressors."
Onyx glared at Snow while rubbing his side. "We usually don't hide it, so we didn't really have a better disguise on hand." Onyx shrugged "If we're moving places, might as well show you. Get your reaction done and over with." He said, reaching up to his hoodie and pulling it down. His ears twitching as they were let loose from under the hoodie.
Weiss blinked, her eyes widening. "You...you're a faunus?" She asked, her voice soft.
Onyx nodded "Yep." He said, his ears twitching again.
Snow pulled his hoodie down, revealing his own ears. "Same here."
"...I see." Weiss said, her eyes narrowing. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, they were faunus. On the other hand, they had saved her and had been nothing but kind to her, treating her like a human being instead of a Schnee. It was a weird feeling, and it made her feel conflicted.
"Ooookay..." Onyx looked at Weiss skeptically. "Well, the reaction isn't as bad as I expected at least."
Weiss blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you didn't scream or anything. So that's good." Onyx shrugged. "Considering your past relationship with the white fang and faunus in general we were expecting something a bit more... explosive. Like 'You lied to me!' and 'I'm a Schnee how dare you!' or something." He grinned cheekily. "So I guess that's a good thing."
She blinked again and frowned. "I'm not like that."
He snorted, amused. "Sure."
She glared at him, but he just continued smirking. "Whatever." She grumbled, looking away.
"So!" Onyx spoke up, clapping his hands together. "I think that went pretty well."
Snow shook his head and looked at Weiss "Are you alright with this?" He asked. "I know it's a lot to take in, and if you're not okay with it, we'll understand."
She looked at the two, and then back down at her half-eaten pancake. She sighed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine." She said. "You're not the first faunus I've met, after all. Just the first ones I've had a... proper conversation with, I guess." She admitted. "...I'll get used to it. I know you two aren't bad people. I just need to adjust a little."
"Right." Onyx grinned, and Snow nodded.
"So." Weiss started. "Where do we go from here?"
Snow glanced at Onyx and the two shared a look before nodding. "We'll be going back to our dad. He should probably be done with his mission by now. You can tag along." He told her. "But we'll need to get you a disguise or something, otherwise you'll be recognized immediately."
She nodded "Alright." She agreed. "I can do that."
"Good." He nodded. "Also, me and Onyx were talking about it before, but if you go home later with no excuse you'll probably get in trouble, right?" He asked.
Weiss blinked. "...I suppose so." She said slowly. "Why?"
"Well, we figured that if we can figure out a good cover story, we can probably get Ironwood to help you out." Snow said. "He is the general of Atlas after all. Your dad prolly won't question it too much if Ironwood gives a good excuse."
"...That sounds like it could work." Weiss agreed, nodding absently before pausing at the absurdity of it. The General of Atlas was not a pawn to use in a ruse. And yet... "I suppose you're right." There was a bit of a sigh mixed in with her words.
Considering how casually they talked about it, she couldn't help but think they'd actually be able to pull it off somehow.