Part 3 of the little WhiteKnight one-shots I've been wrtiting.
Weiss Schnee was distracted, and she was not happy about it.
She had always prided herself on being sharp and focused, but recently she had found her thoughts continually slipping towards someone tall, blonde and not so very scraggly. Her team had certainly noticed her lack of concentration during training earlier and again this evening before she had excused herself from their room to take a walk. It didn't help that team JNR was away from the city just now, working to secure a possible vein of dust that hadn't been completely tapped, and beyond the range of the communications towers. She had tried to pass it off to Winter earlier in the day as being concerned for all of her friends, but the reality was that it was only one of them she was anxious about.
Her boots clicked down the smooth wooden floors of the academy as she wandered aimlessly, trying to unjumble the mess that had taken root within her. She knew she needed to talk to him, and she promised herself at that moment that she would once they were back.
The air was cooling and the sun was setting, casting long red streaks in her path from any window she passed. She had found herself in an area of the academy that she hadn't yet explored and behind each door was a new experience. Peeking around one door she found a huge library, filled from floor to ceiling with books in colourful bindings. This was no library for studying. The large patchwork sofas and gilded side tables, each adorned with a lamp casting a soft light, told her this was a place for relaxation, a place to lose yourself in the pages of the stories. She made a mental note of the room number for herself and for her Faunus teammate before continuing down the halls.
The next room she looked in was a white studio broken up by screens into a dozen or so different areas. Each one was lit with a large stage light and a project of some kind being worked on sat upon each of the work benches. A huge canvas of oil painted flowers, a clay sculpture awaiting its glaze, a wooden carving of a figure in motion. Weiss marvelled at each and everyone of them, awed at the talents on display.
Then she was suddenly aware that she could hear something. Pausing, she listened and heard the distance twinkling of piano keys. They drifted along the cool evening air, and Weiss could tell the player was extremely proficient. Curious, she followed the sounds and came upon another room she had never seen before.
A set of heavy wooden doors opened into a performance space. Rows of padded chairs were lined up neatly on either side of a hard wood aisle. The aisle led to a raised stage area that had heavy red curtains draped on either side. Music stands with pieces of sheet music were dotted haphazardly around the stage from the last time it was used, and at the very back was a large window casting the retreating suns rays upon a piano being gently played.
The pianist hadn't heard her enter. He continued playing a song that she didn't recognise, but the melody was beautiful. He moved his hands along the keys gracefully and moved his head of blonde hair to the rhythm as he played. She immediately recognised the shining white armour and the fiery sash around his waist.
Of course it was him, she thought.
Drawing in a breath, she moved forwards towards the stage. Her legs felt heavy as she moved, and a part of her mind was screaming at her to turn around. Her heart raced but she kept moving toward him determined to fulfill the promise she had just made herself.
"Jaune?" She asked carefully, so as not to startle him.
He stopped playing and turned to face her. His face lit up into a smile when he saw her and she couldn't help but return it. "Weiss, hey."
"I thought you weren't due back for another few days," she asked, reaching the edge of the stage.
"We managed to get the Grimm cleared out and secured the mine quicker than we expected," he said. "Qrow is keeping an eye on the last of the workers with Marrow and he ordered us to head back home."
She stepped up and crossed the stage, taking a seat to his right hand side on the cushioned bench, smoothing out her crisp white skirt as she sat. "I didn't know you could play," Weiss said, gesturing towards the piano.
He turned back to the keys and started playing again. A different song than before, slower and gentler in tempo. "Mom was always listening to music in the house growing up. We all learned to play instruments and were encouraged to make up songs. My singing voice was never as strong as my sisters so I always got the job of playing piano." he explained, smiling as he fondly remembered the time spent with his family.
"You're very good," she complimented him.
"Thanks," he said with a hint of blush. "I found this place a few months ago. It's nice to be able to come and play, and just work things out."
Like what?, she wondered.
She watched him play for a minute, learning the notes before her hand too fell on the keys, playing a few notes higher to harmonise with him and being careful to not knock into his leading hand. "Mom would play for us too, before everything went, erm." Weiss swallowed and then continued. "I remember she would play at night before bed and I'd sing along. Whitley would be squeezed onto the bench between us just so he would stay still. Father decided though we should all learn to play when we were old enough and I hated it. The teacher was evil and I'm sure she revelled in torturing me for taking longer to learn than Winter had."
"So there are some things that Weiss Schnee isn't immediately good at," he teased and she knocked his elbow in response so his hand slipped on the keys with a thunk.
"I'm left-handed, you dunce," she explained, raising said hand and wiggling her fingers for extra effect. "With a bit of time, I could have trained my non-dominant hand to play the melodies as well as anyone but that witch never afforded it to me."
"I'm sorry to hear that, actually, but something must have stuck with you," he said, gesturing towards her playing hand. "Still, I am glad you're not hogging all the talent," he said with a grin in her direction, and now it was her turn to blush. They played together for a moment before Jaune asked, "Weiss, can I ask you a question?"
Her heart skipped. "Sure," she replied.
"Have you ever thought about what will happen, when this is all over?" She heard the tone of his voice drop.
"Not really," she said honestly. "It's difficult to try and imagine a future with all that's happening around us." She paused briefly before continuing to play. "Salem, Cinder, the Crown, the unending hordes of Grimm. What I have been thinking about, though, is how far we've all come from Beacon. How we've all grown so much."
He let out a small chuckle. "I wonder what past us would have said if they could see us here now. Sat together, having a pleasant conversation while playing the piano."
She shuddered at her prissy past demeanour. "Well, I for one am glad that we have surpassed who we used to be." She spoke earnestly as they continued to play together. "We've all had to deal with so much pain and grief, but we're all still here and we're all still fighting, getting stronger."
He sniffed, "And yet, sometimes I still feel like a fraud, the kid who snuck into Beacon and has somehow managed to survive by being lucky." She went to speak, but he spoke over her. "I'm sorry, by the way. About how I acted towards you at Beacon. I was afforded a lot of time for self-reflection in the Ever After, and I realised I should have listened to you rather than continuing to constantly ask you out."
"Well, I owe you an apology then, too," Weiss said. "I was obnoxious, and I judged you too harshly. I made an assumption about you based on past experiences, and I'm sorry." She hadn't realised she had held the same note for several seconds and he had stopped playing. Removing her hand from the piano keys, she twisted her body so she sat cross legged on the bench facing him. She closed her eyes, and gathered her thoughts. She felt like she was vibrating, she was so nervous. "I meant what I said, in the Ever After. You're brave, kind, selfless. You're a good man, and when I was at Beacon I couldn't see that."
Now or never, she thought.
She felt the words leave her mouth quickly, desperate for them to be out before she changed her mind and kept them hidden away. "Jaune, I have realised that I have developed romantic feelings towards you."
Silence. She wasn't expecting silence.
He turned his face to hers, his brow was furrowed in confusion. "Why now?" He asked as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Why tell me this now?"
She shrugged limply. "I felt I needed to say something. With the future being so uncertain, I reasoned it was worth taking a chance and making a choice about the present."
"When did you know?"
"That night on the rooftop," she said quickly. The night she poured her heart out on him. "You were there for me and you never judged me, you were just there." She remembered the feelings of his arms around her, of the care in his voice while they spoke. "But the question has been in my mind since Atlas, since that night at the pictures. And then everything went wrong, so I just put it aside and then everything went more wrong and now we're here."
"Huh. And here I was thinking I was imagining things." He opened his deep blue eyes and met her pale blues. "I always thought you didn't see me like that. Then that night I found you. I thought you were going to..."
"I was," she said quickly.
The atmosphere crackled between them, her heart beating furiously. He leaned forward, closing the space between them, he tilted his head slightly and then pressed his lips gently against hers. She responded in kind, bringing a hand up against his cheek and moving her own lips against his. Her soul soared at his touch, soft but passionate. Nothing mattered in that moment, all of their worries a million miles away.
Seconds passed, and they separated, leaning their foreheads together.
"Wow," he said, eliciting a nervous laugh out of her. "So, do I need to grow a beard again or…?" he teased, causing her eyes to widen and her cheeks and ears to blaze scarlet, briefly embarrassed at her comment about his appearance in the Ever After.
"Not unless you want to…" She whispered, finding herself flustered and shifting awkwardly in her seat, trying desperately to find somewhere to let her gaze rest.
"Hey, look at me." He guided her face back towards his with a gentle stroke of his hand under her chin, causing her breath to catch in her throat. His eyes shone brightly in what was left of the evening sun. "If we do this, it won't be easy," he said.
"I know," she replied softly.
"And we will never hear the end of this from Yang and Nora," he laughed shakily.
"It's got to be better than the knowing looks they keep giving Blake and Ren," Weiss responded.
He let out a dry laugh. "Everyone else had it figured out before us then, huh?" She just rolled her eyes as a resigned admission of truth. "So, what do we do now, then?" He asked.
"Personally, I'd like to kiss you again," she replied breathlessly. Grinning broadly, he turned so he sat facing her before leaning in and kissing her again. She felt his hand graze the skin on her knee, electrifying her senses and sending a shudder down her spine.
"You ok?" He asked, leaning back. She just nodded, not sure words would form if she tried to speak. "My question still stands. What do we do?"
"I think we can skip the getting to know you portion of traditional relationships and just look at spending some time together," she suggested. "I certainly enjoyed the morning we got coffee together. Plus, we have the additional benefit of being able to do this." She grabbed the collar of his chest plate and pulled him into yet another kiss, giggling as she did.
"How very bold of you, Miss Schnee," he joked, wrapping her up in his arms and pulling her close to his body. They laughed together for a minute as she settled her head against his chest. The piano sat forgotten next to them. She felt the knot of anxiety melt away as the warmth of his body surrounded her and she breathed in the woody scent of his body wash.
In another world, Weiss Schnee would be horrified at her very unladylike behaviour. In this world, however, she was very content to be smothered in his arms, a tower of safety around her. Weiss felt that spark of belief that they would make it through whatever was to come, and they would do it together.
Their peace was disturbed abruptly by the buzzing of Weiss' scroll. Fishing it out of her pocket, she was greeted with a call from her partner. She sighed, pulled away from Jaune and answered the call.
"Hi Ruby."
"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby said tentatively. "You said you'd only be out for an hour and I wanted to make sure you're ok."
Weiss couldn't help but smile at her partners caring soul once again trying to look out for everyone. "I'm fine, Ruby. In fact, I'm really good." Weiss grinned at the man sitting in front of her. "I was just thinking about heading back to the room, actually, I shouldn't be long."
"Erm, ok. Just try not to be too long, Yang and Blake are making kissy faces at each other," she replied, followed by an audible sound of annoyance from her older sister in the background.
"I'll be back soon," Weiss chuckled before hanging up.
"So, I'll see you in the morning then," he said. Neither wanted the moment to end, but both knew their time would come again.
"Yeah," she replied simply. And with one more kiss against his lips, she descended the stage stairs and exited through the doors back into the academy halls. She retraced her steps back to their room, spinning giddily before she pushed the door open and greeted her teammates.
They noticed her demeanour was much more pleasant than when she had left the room earlier. Their probing was met with feigned ignorance and a change of subject towards their mission for the next week. The night drew in, and they eventually all retried to their beds.
But before she did, her scroll buzzed once more and she smiled widely at the single word on the screen.
Goodnight.
Thanks to WeissQueen1718 for the beta read and suggestions.
Any other mistakes are mine, and I really hope you've enjoyed this little series.