What Defines Us - Chapter 36 (Patreon)

As soon as the door closed, Ruby blew a loud breath through her lips - the kind that made a silly noise.  

This morning had been a whirlwind of pancakes and feelings.  Sorting through everything was pretty much impossible, so why was she even trying?

Because she wanted to know how close she and Weiss had been!  Was that really so hard to figure out?  Well, when Weiss avoided the question or passed out before hearing it, it kind of was.

Tapping her foot on the ground in the empty entryway, Ruby decided that she needed some fresh air.  Fresh was always best! Rushing to the back porch, she hopped onto the grass and looked up at the sky - catching a nice blinding view of the sun while she was at it.  By now the moon was long gone, but the sun was still comforting in a lesser way. It was warm and felt nice on her skin. Kind of like how Weiss had felt this morning when Ruby woke up.

How was it that she couldn’t remember years of her life, but she could remember that specific moment like it had been...well, it had been just this morning.  But she could remember it like it happened a few seconds ago!

And, because she remembered it so well, her cheeks grew really, really hot.  Like surface of the sun hot. She and Weiss had been snuggled up together like...like intertwining vines, only much more comfortable.  And warm. And pretty. A really, really pretty vine.

Maybe it wasn’t a blush Ruby was feeling.  Maybe it was actually a sunburn. Yeah, most likely a sunburn.  She was bad at putting on sunscreen.

“Frig,” she muttered, kicking her toe across the grass.  There weren’t any rocks around, unfortunately. Just soft blades of grass that didn’t even have the courtesy to fly up into the air.  That’d be pretty satisfying if they did, but nooo. They just bent under her foot but stayed in place.

“Double frig.”

Hearing the door open and heavy steps cross the porch, she turned to find Yang walking out on the grass to join her.

“Whatcha doin’ out here?” 

“Practicing my active camouflage,” Ruby replied before tapping at an invisible device on her wrist.  “Apparently it’s not working.”

“Oh, it’s working, I just happen to be wearing my camouflage-busting glasses!  They’re nice, yeah?” Grinning, Yang pretended to pull off a pair of glasses and extended them to Ruby, who accepted them curiously.

“I knew I shouldn’t have given these to you…” she muttered after looking them over, breaking into a smile when Yang laughed.

“Maybe you can get them to find Blake too?  I swear she gives me at least one heart attack per day by appearing out of thin air.”

“Sorry,” Ruby said with a shake of her head.  “No can do!”

“Why not?”

“She paid a higher price than you,” Ruby answered before sticking out her tongue.  Chuckling at the joke, Yang shook her head.

“Siding with the ninja, huh?  I see how it is…it’s not like I’m your only sister or anything.”

When Ruby giggled, Yang smiled and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

“So how’re you doing?” Yang asked in that big-sister voice she had.  It was the one she used when she wanted to have an honest conversation - something Ruby was always willing to give.

Furrowing her brow, she tried to make sense of everything she was feeling.  How was she doing? Her health was good - that’s what she always thought of first.  She’d put her training to the test yesterday and hadn’t ended up back in the hospital, so that was a pretty big success!  Then there was that whole partner thing...and, separate from that, the whole Weiss thing. Those were...well...still up in the air.

“I’m ok, I think,” she answered as honestly as she could.  “Confused, a little overwhelmed, but ok. I mean, things could be worse!”

“Yeah?” Yang asked while throwing a super slow motion punch at Ruby, who deflected it and stepped around just like Yang had taught her.  

“Yeah!  And I mean, there's gotta be a cap on how confused someone can get, right?  Pretty sure I’ve already reached it!”

“Clearly you don’t remember Professor Oobleck’s ‘ioto’ math class…” 

“There are benefits to memory loss,” Ruby quipped, grabbing Yang’s incoming fist in both of her own and spinning underneath her sister’s arm.  “I guess...I mean, I thought I was just getting to know her but surprise! We’ve been teammates for years!  Oh!”  Ruby’s eyes widened as a thought flitted into her head.  “Does that mean that I’ve...I’ve changed in front of her before?”

After a brief second of confusion, Yang laughed.

“Ruby, we lived in the same dorm for years.  We’ve all changed in front of each other hundreds of times.”

A blush instantly appeared, and Ruby put both of her hands to her cheeks in horror.

“Oh my god!!  I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this!” she wailed before punching Yang in the shoulder.  

“What??  Ruby, we were trying to look out for you!” Yang protested, probably not even feeling the punch because of all her dumb muscles.  Meanwhile, Ruby felt like she’d just slammed her knuckles into a very solid wall.

Yang’s answer made her pout for a few seconds before sighing.  It was kind of hard to be upset when people only had the best intentions at heart...

“I know you were, but like...imagine if you found out that you and Blake were related.”

Yang immediately wrinkled her nose.  

“Uh...I don’t wanna do that…”

“Or like, what if I was Blake?”

“Nope.”  Waving her hands in front of her, Yang rapidly shook her head.  “Nope nope nope. I get it, Ruby. It’s awkward.”

“Yeah!” Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.  “Really awkward.”

After staring off into the distance for a few seconds, Yang shuddered and turned back to Ruby.

“But why is it awkward?  Because you didn’t know she was your partner?  Or because you didn’t know she was your partner, and you’re crushing on her big time?”

Was that the problem?  If Ruby didn’t have all these extra feelings for Weiss, would it be such a big deal?  

“She’s just so prettyyyyy,” she whined.  “Don’t you think she’s pretty? She looks amazing in anything.”  

Pausing, she took a second to remember how fantastic Weiss looked in Ruby’s clothes.  A part of her kind of hoped Weiss would keep them and never give them back - and maybe wear them another couple of times for Ruby to see.  

“Don’t you think she looked great this morning?” she mused, mostly to herself.

“Uh...how much trouble are you trying to get me in?” Yang asked, glancing towards the house.  Quickly catching on, Ruby grinned.

“The prettiest girl you’ve ever seen?  Wow, Yang.  What would Blake think if she heard that?”

Glaring, Yang reached out to try to grab Ruby by the arm, but she dashed out of the way.

“Jeez, maybe I should be worried about some competition!”

“Ok pipsqueak, come here,” Yang growled before racing forward in an attempt to catch her.  But Ruby giggled while hopping this way and that out of Yang’s reach. Whenever Yang tried to grab her, Ruby would move just barely out of the way.  She was too nimble!  And too fast! Wayyyyy too - whoop!

Squeaking when she toppled over Yang’s foot and hit the ground, strong arms instantly latched onto her and lifted her into the air.  The next second, she burst into uncontrollable giggles while Yang’s fingers found the worst spots in between a set of ribs to tickle.  And tickle. And tickle.

“Yanggg!” she squealed while kicking her feet in the air.  “Yan-ggg! I’m sorry! I-I’m - lemme go!”

It was useless.  Yang was way too strong for Ruby ever to break free - and it wasn’t until Ruby could hardly breathe anymore that Yang intentionally loosened her grip.  Immediately racing a safe distance away, Ruby promptly collapsed onto the grass to catch her breath.

“You...suck!” she huffed out while staring at a set of cute, fluffy clouds up above.  Chuckling, Yang walked over and offered Ruby a hand.

“Truce?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ruby grumbled under her breath while accepting Yang’s help up.  “One of these days, it’s gonna be me doing the tickling!  Then we’ll see who’s laughing!”

“Still me, most likely,” Yang replied with a grin before her expression softened.  “Listen, Ruby...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Weiss…”

“Aw, Yang -”

“Hold on,” Yang held up a hand and continued.  “Let me explain first. When Weiss came back, I just...we just thought it’d be best if you didn’t see her as our teammate who ran away.  Give her a shot at a fresh start, ya know? All Blake’s idea, of course - I wanted to throw her out on the street. Thankfully I didn’t, but I’m still sorry we kept you in the dark for so long.  I’m sure there were opportunities when we could’ve told you...”

“I’m not mad at you, Yang,” Ruby replied, giving her sister a reassuring smile.  “I know you did what you thought was best. But I’m glad you didn’t throw her out!”

Looking incredibly relieved, Yang actually sighed before smiling once more.

“Me too...are you sure you’re ok though?  Or should we clamp the lid on the past again?  No more new stories or anything?”

Opening her mouth to reply, Ruby found that her answer wasn’t the same as it had been for such a long time.

“No,” she said, shaking her head.  “I want to learn more.” 

Because of Weiss.  If she wanted to know more about Weiss, she needed to delve further into her past - or their past, technically.  It went against everything she’d told herself for the past year.  The past was the past. It didn’t matter anymore. Oh, and the best one - forget about the past!  Which, obviously, was funny because she had - 

The past didn’t matter, for the most part, but there was the section of her lost memories that held Weiss - and it suddenly felt like a gaping hole had opened in Ruby’s chest that craved to be filled with those memories.

“So you’re ready then?” Yang asked.  “For everything? The works? The ketchup and mustard?  Pickles and tomato?  Cheese and onion?”

They’d just eaten breakfast - how could Ruby already be this hungry??

Moving past how much she wanted a hamburger now, Ruby bit her lip and thought about what Yang was actually asking (while subliminally selling fast food).

Was she ready to look into her past?  Was she ready to hear all the stories that she couldn’t remember?  Or hear about events she had no clue had happened and felt no connection too?  

Did it matter if she heard a few crazy stories?  That wasn’t going to be enough to affect her future. 

“I think so,” she answered with a nod.  “I mean, I know who I am. I don’t need to chase who I was.  I can’t be that Ruby again, but I think I can be a pretty good Ruby now!”

Completely at ease with the decision, she smiled at Yang and earned a big smile in return.

“You’re awesome,” Yang said, briefly clapping a hand on Ruby’s shoulder before turning them both towards the house. “So if you have any questions, ask and we’ll tell you, ‘k? The past is officially open for the taking!”

“Ok!  Oh, I do have one question though,” Ruby said before they’d walked too far, landing back on the one subject she couldn’t seem to find an answer to.  “At Beacon, were Weiss and I...friends?”

“That’s an easy one.  Of course you were friends!  The two of you were practically attached at the hip.”

It was weird because Yang technically answered the question, but that wasn’t the question Ruby was trying to ask.  And Yang should’ve known that. If she hadn’t caught on, then she was slower than Ruby thought!

Which was no joke - was it only Ruby who noticed how slow Yang walked in the mornings?  Seriously, it was like her feet were strapped to the backs of ancient tortoises or something - like the ones at the zoo that never moved?  Ruby could probably run an entire marathon in the time it took Yang to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen. 

But Yang was usually super quick when it came to ‘people’ things...and the more people avoided answering the question, the more Ruby believed it was the right one to ask.  Which meant that she would keep asking until someone gave her a dang answer. They didn’t call her Ruby ‘Never Gives Up’ Rose for nothing!

No one actually called her that...

“But were we friends like how Blake and I are friends?” she pressed.  “Or like how you and Blake are friends?”

Freezing at the question, Yang dropped her arm and stared at Ruby for a long time.

“That...might be something you should ask Weiss.”

“I did,” Ruby sighed.

“And?”

“And she said we were friends.”  

“Then there you go!” Yang replied with a big smile that Ruby could tell was a bit uneasy.  Yang liked to think she could fool people with her smiles, but Ruby had stopped falling for it a long time ago.  Don’t tell Yang that though! Sometimes Ruby still fell for it just to make Yang happy.

But apparently Yang was also a dead end in figuring out that part of the past...which was ironic because she just said to ask anything!  But this question was off limits for some reason...

Something was there, if only Ruby could find it.  She’d find a way eventually. She always did!

“What now?” she asked when they hopped onto the back porch, the wood creaking under their feet.

It had been a while since she’d felt...lost.  The past year was so easy! Actually, it was the exact opposite of easy, but it was easy in the way that she always knew what her goals were.  Get better through training, training, and more training. Become a huntress. Rule the world! But after the events of yesterday, she didn’t feel like she had to train right now.  Because maybe she was kind of good at this huntressing thing.

And maybe she was kind of bad at this relationshiping thing.

“Whatever you want to!  It’s any other day, really.  Blake and I are gonna hang around the house.  You could work on some weapons?”

“Yeah, I guess…” 

Smiling, Yang reached out and tapped Ruby’s shoulder.

“Cheer up, kiddo.  Try not to think about it.  You’ll figure out an answer.”

For a second, Ruby tried to figure out that statement - then she threw her hands in the air. 

“What kind of advice is that??  How will I find an answer if I don’t think about it??”

“Uh, I dunno, maybe it’ll hit you over the head or something.”  

Staring at her sister for a few seconds, she finally shook her head.

“Blake gives better advice than you,” she teased.

“Hey!  I give awesome advice!” Yang protested while Ruby laughed.  “Ok, want my advice, wise guy? I think you should just kiss her and see what happens.”

That stopped Ruby’s laughter instantly.

“What?!”

Now Yang was nodding like it was a brilliant idea.  “Yeah, go bat those big silver eyes at her, then kiss her.  If she’s into it, throw in some tongue while you’re at it!”

“Yang!” Ruby cried out, covering her ears and flashing into the house to get away from her sister, who was now laughing gleefully.

“I thought you wanted my advice!” Yang called after her.

“Not that kind of advice!” Ruby shouted back outside before ducking into her room and closing the door.  “Stupid Yang…” she mumbled to herself while looking around her room and feeling her cheeks reach atomic levels of heat.

Kiss Weiss?  

What would that be like?  It had to be about a million times better than a kiss on the cheek, right?  Although that had been pretty dang awesome. Being so close to Weiss, in general, was awesome.  Feeling her soft skin...

Nope.  Ruby wasn’t going to think about that right now.  It made her feel all tingly.

What she was going to think about was her bed - because it was unmade.  

Pulling the covers into place, she blushed while remembering how she’d woken up that morning.  

Weiss smelled so good.  And she was warm. And somehow super comfortable.  Was it weird to think of a person as being comfortable?

Things were confusing right now, but Ruby still knew she liked Weiss - a lot.  The only problem was this whole past thing. Stupid memories! Why couldn’t they stay in place or come back so she could make sense of things?  

What was ironic was that, over time, she’d learned to ignore her lost memories - she didn’t even think about them on a daily basis.  Now she couldn’t stop thinking about them.  If there was a door set up in her mind that was blocking her from her past, she was pounding on it and asking very, very nicely to get in.  She wanted to knowwwww.

Maybe Yang was right.  Maybe she should try not to think about it and hopefully an answer would hit her over the head.  In the meantime, she would clean. Cleaning was a good distraction. Not that there was much to clean in her room, but she still tidied and organized it from top to bottom - being extra thorough to keep her mind off of anything else.  

When her room was practically sparkling, she made herself a sandwich for lunch and headed into the garage to clean the workshop next.  At least, that had been her intention. Instead, she started tinkering with a new little feature that could work with her weapons. 

Did she say little?  It wasn’t. It was super ambitious!  Ideally, she’d retrofit the fingertips of Thorn to house teeny, tiny Dust integrators that would interact with Crescent Rose.  Theoretically, she could use the integrators to infuse the blade with Dust-like qualities from Dust compartments housed near the bullet chambers.  

Ambitious, maybe impossible, but that’s what made it fun!  And mentally exhausting. And it took a long time! She spent most of the afternoon working on Crescent Rose to see if she could even get the scythe to cooperate.  It wouldn’t, but given more time her weapon would eventually come around. Crescent Rose always saw reason in the end!

Oh, and Ruby needed to remember the drills for the bottoms of her boots!  That would be another challenge to figure out, but, if she could do it right, it would be awesome.

By the time she’d mentally exhausted herself fiddling with Crescent Rose, no answer had done any hitting of her head area.  And the day had wasted away. She hadn’t gotten to spend any time with Weiss, which she’d wanted to do. Instead, she’d messed around, accomplished very little, and figured out even less.  Another productive day at the Rose household!

The weirdest thing was that her scroll was silent all day long.  There were a ton of times she wanted to send Weiss a message but didn’t know what to say.  Go with the ‘everything is normal’ approach and ignore all these new feelings that had sprung out of nowhere?  Or don’t bring up any conversation at all and avoid everything altogether?

But Weiss had mentioned needing to get work done, so Ruby didn’t want to accidentally interrupt something important.  Although...now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what Weiss did for work.  All she knew was that Weiss was super important!

Huh...maybe she didn’t know that much about Weiss.  

On the other hand, Ruby knew a ton about Weiss.  Like that she was really generous. She was pretty and kind and super smart.  She was a great fighter. She was super, duper amazing, and made Ruby feel special in a really unique way.  

But she was Ruby’s partner.  There was so much she knew about Ruby that she probably didn’t even know about herself.  

Did that wipe away the time they’d spent together?  

Why would it?  Weiss was the one who let Ruby hold her hand.  Made her excited and happy. Made her laugh and smile.  Made her heart flutter like a million butterflies. All of those things - that was Weiss.  That is Weiss.  Ruby’s partner.

Maybe that label didn’t matter as much as Ruby thought it would.  All this time, she’d imagined her partner to be this shifty character who didn’t like to be pinned down in one spot for long.  Someone who liked being alone - kind of like Blake only times a thousand.  

But Weiss wasn’t like that at all.  She was very personable. Wasn’t this better than the alternatives Ruby imagined?  Her partner wasn’t a loner - her partner was awesome.  And how many times had Ruby already wished that Weiss could be her partner?

“Bleh,” Ruby finally said, dropping everything onto the workbench and standing up to head into the house.  She’d done so well blocking these thoughts out of her head for most of the day; now they were back with a vengeance.

With her head a swirly mess, she dragged herself into the house and collapsed onto the sofa next to Blake.

“Man...things were so much simpler yesterday…” she muttered to herself while reaching for the remote control.  But Blake immediately shut her book and set it on the side table - a symbol that her full attention was now on Ruby.

“How are you dealing with this?” 

“I’m so…”  Forgetting the remote and leaning back into the cushions, she sighed.  “It’s confusing.”

She knew that she liked Weiss - like liked her.  But now Weiss was her teammate.  Was that type of thing even allowed?  Well, obviously it was since Blake and Yang were together, but could Weiss ever see Ruby that way?  Would she? Had she?

“I just want to know how close we were…” Ruby mumbled, twirling the ring around her necklace while lost in thought.  Yesterday, Weiss was the girl Ruby liked a lot. Today, Weiss was Ruby’s partner. Who she happened to like a ton.

“Why don’t you ask her?” Blake asked.

“I tried.”

“And?”

“And I don’t think she told the truth…” 

Blake shook her head.  “That doesn’t surprise me.  Why don’t you ask again?”

“How?  Message her?”

“No, go ask her.”

Looking around the empty room, Ruby gave Blake a curious grin. 

“But she’s not here, Blake,” Ruby teased, but Blake didn’t seem at all bothered by Weiss’ absence.

“Do you want to ask?” she asked instead.  “ Because I can take you to where she’s staying.”

“How do you know where she’s staying?”

This entire time Ruby hadn’t even thought about where Weiss might go when she left the house!

“It’s my job to know,” Blake answered with such a serious face, Ruby laughed.

“Is it really?”

Unphased by the laughter, Blake nodded.

“Yes.  You specifically told me - ‘Blake, it’s your job to know these ‘ninja things.’’  So I make sure I know.”

Unsure of how to respond to most of that, Ruby stared at Blake for a long time before finally shrugging.  This was her opportunity to see Weiss again - did she really care about this ‘ninja thing,’ or did she want to see Weiss?

She would care about the ninja thing later.  Like what did ‘ninja things’ include?  Was it just knowing where people lived?  Or was it like...knowing everyone’s middle names?  Their blood types? That’d be kind of creepy...she hoped Blake wasn’t doing that!  

“I guess it’d be cool to see where she’s staying,” Ruby answered.  “Plus, she’s always the one coming over here. And I’d kind of like to see her...”

“Perfect.  I’ll meet you outside in three minutes.”

When Blake smoothly stood from the sofa and disappeared down the hall, Ruby chuckled to herself in surprise. 

“Three minutes…” she mumbled while going to search for shoes.  Blake was so precise!

Three minutes later, they were on their way - and Ruby was getting more and more nervous by the second.  She hadn’t thought this through! She had no idea what she wanted to say or do or anything.  She’d been confused about everything and then Blake made this offer and she’d jumped on it before thinking about what was going to happen when they got to Weiss’ house!

Of course, being nervous meant they arrived even faster - or maybe they hadn’t been far away to begin with.  Regardless, it wasn’t long before they were cruising down a neighborhood street where the houses grew bigger and bigger with every block.

“There it is,” Blake finally commented while nodding out Ruby’s window.  Leaning closer to the glass, Ruby found a large gate. Beyond that was a sprawling green lawn - the one with lines mown into the grass.  And beyond that - visible at the end of a long driveway - was a mega-mansion lit up with lights.

“Wow.”  

There weren’t any other words Ruby could think of when looking at the huge building.

“It’s her sister’s,” Blake explained.

“How do you find out this stuff?” Ruby asked in awe, making Blake chuckle.

“There are several ways.  Check property records, interview associates...it’s impossible to stay anonymous these days.”

“But if it’s her sister’s, how did you find out Weiss was here?”

“Well, you could either talk to people who know her, or you could just tail her.”

“You followed Weiss??”

Not at all perturbed by the notion, Blake nodded.  “Of course. We needed to know where she was staying in case she tried to run off again.”

“Does Yang know about this?” Ruby asked, half teasing, half serious.  Blake took the question seriously, nodding purposefully while pulling the car off the road and towards a guard house at the entrance to the property.

“Yang is aware, in some capacity, of everything I do.  It’s part of a promise I made her years ago.”

As the vehicle slid to a stop, Blake rolled down the window to speak to the guard - who was already stepping out of his booth to greet them.

“Sorry ladies - no visitors allowed.”

“I think you’ll want to call Weiss and ask,” Blake replied calmly before gesturing towards the passenger seat.  “This is Ruby. I’m sure Weiss will want to see her.”

The man’s eyes widened at Ruby’s name.  “Wait right here,” he said before rushing back into his little booth, while Ruby stared after him in surprise.

“How did you know he’d know my name??”

“Educated guess,” Blake replied with a self-satisfied grin.  “Weiss never could keep herself from talking about you.”

The statement made Ruby feel warm and fuzzy inside as the guard ran back out to them.  “Sorry about that - head on through!”

“Thank you,” Blake replied before continuing up the long drive to the mansion.  

Ruby’s nerves multiplied when they stopped in front of the house, which was a visual reminder that Weiss was from an entirely different world than Ruby.  This house was built for people who knew what a ‘soirée’ was, and who ate snails with pieces of gold.  Neither of those things fit Ruby - unless a soirée was another name for a nap and someone dared her to eat the golden snail.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Weiss stepped outside, looking remarkably small when framed against the ginormous entryway.  She’d changed out of Ruby’s clothes but still looked beautiful as could be. 

Even though Ruby didn’t fit into this world of giant houses, seeing Weiss made her heart soar.  Maybe she didn’t belong here, but she belonged with Weiss. Err...or something like that.

“Do you want me to wait?” Blake asked quietly.

Seeing Weiss caused confusion and swirling emotions to reappear in Ruby’s brain.  It was like someone got ahold of a box of paperclips and went out of their way to make sure they were a huge mess of connected wires.  

This wouldn’t be easy to sort through.

“Um...no that’s ok.  I’ll call if you need to come back?” 

When Blake nodded, Ruby took a deep breath and pushed the car door open.

“Good luck,” she heard from behind her as she stood and closed the door.  Raising one hand in a wave, Blake returned it before leaving Ruby standing there.  

Taking a deep breath that only partially calmed her nerves, she turned and walked to Weiss - finding that each step bringing them closer was easier than the last.  By the time Ruby stood in front of Weiss, she could hardly remember being nervous. She was just happy that they were together again.  Even if there was all this confusing stuff, there was also all of this good stuff that had happened between them.

“Hey!” Ruby said, a grin already appearing.

“Hello,” Weiss replied with a small smile, clutching her hands together before gesturing towards the house.  “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure!”  

Following Weiss inside, Ruby looked around the massive entryway in awe.  It was fancy. All the marble and expensive paintings. And the huge chandelier... 

“I’m sorry, if I’d known you were coming over, I would have tidied up…” 

Weiss’ words trailed off while Ruby looked around the spotless entryway, then giggled.  There probably wasn’t a single speck of dust to be found.

“This place looks amazing!”

“Winter will be happy to hear you like it,” Weiss commented absentmindedly, her eyes sweeping the room - as if searching for anything out of place - before finally returning to Ruby.  

Even though Weiss was silently wondering why Ruby was here, Ruby couldn’t help but smile.  She was here because she wanted answers, but also because she loved, loved, loved spending time with Weiss.

“Was there something you needed from me...?” Weiss asked after several seconds of silence, the question breaking Ruby out of her pseudo spell.

“Not really.  I just wanted to see you!” she answered, the words doing wonders in making Weiss relax.  She even smiled and looked a little relieved for once!

“I’m glad you came over then.”

“But aren’t you wondering how I knew where you lived?” Ruby asked.  She was excited to share Blake’s special skill with someone else, but Weiss’ brow furrowed at the question.

“Well...no.  I imagine Blake followed me home weeks ago.”

“You knew that??” Ruby asked in shock - not at all the answer she’d expected.

“I never knew when, but yes.  I suspected it would happen sooner rather than later.”

Whaaaat?  How did everyone else know this stuff and Ruby didn’t?  

Oh right...

“She said I made it her ‘job’ to know things like that,” Ruby explained.  That was the only thing she knew about the entire situation, but the comment made Weiss laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Ruby asked curiously, drawing Weiss’ gaze and, for a moment, it looked like she was trying to decide whether or not she should say more.  “I’d like to know!” Ruby added for sincerity purposes. 

And it worked!  Weiss’ uncertainty disappeared, and she nodded before speaking.

“You only said that to legitimize a craving she already had.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes while trying to figure out what that meant.

“Blake is curious; she always has been,” Weiss explained patiently.  “You’ve heard the phrase - curious as a…?”

“Cat!” Ruby answered before realization struck her.  “Oh.”

“Exactly,” Weiss said with a nod.  “Instead of seeing it as a potentially valuable trait, she saw it as something that made her...different.  And when she was already the only Faunus on a team of humans, she didn’t want to be any more ‘different’ than she already was.  It made her feel guilty or ashamed whenever she was caught ‘sneaking around,’ so she hid it. She didn’t want us to know she did it - like it was some dirty secret.”

“Aww…” 

It was sad to think that Blake would be ashamed of something like that because it was actually pretty cool!  

“She was hiding herself from us...then one day you made it her job to know ‘ninja things,’” Weiss continued with a growing smile.  “Proclaimed it quite grandly, in fact. And, suddenly, the shame was gone.”

In a brief pause, Weiss smiled proudly at Ruby.  

“It was a brilliant solution.  From that day forward, she told us whatever she found out.  It was a virtual treasure trove of information - incredible, really.  She knew almost everything about everyone. She’s called it her ‘job’ ever since, and I don’t think she’s ever felt a drop of shame over following anyone - even her own teammates.”

“Hey, that was pretty smart of past me!” Ruby joked.  Chuckling, Weiss gave Ruby a warm smile.

“There was a reason you were named team leader,” Weiss said fondly.  “You understood how to get the best out of everyone.”

“Then...how did I get the best out of you?” Ruby asked, watching Weiss’ smile fall a fraction of an inch.

“You...gave me something I never thought would exist.”

“What was it?” Ruby pressed when it became clear Weiss wasn’t going to continue on her own.  When she finally looked back at Ruby, it was with a small smile and eyes filled with emotion.

“The opportunity to be so much more than just a Schnee.”

That answer didn’t make a whole lot of sense to Ruby, but she smiled and slowly nodded anyway.  

What was wrong with being a Schnee?  If they were anything like Weiss, then they were awesome!  And had fancy houses!

“But here, let me show you around,” Weiss added before shaking her head and clearing her throat.  “I mean, would you like a tour?”

“Absolutely!”  No way was Ruby passing up the chance to see where Weiss lived.

“Well, there are eight bedrooms -” Weiss began, but Ruby’s jaw immediately dropped in surprise.

“Eight??”

“Yes.”

“So you could sleep in a different one every day of the week!”

Weiss paused for a second before a quirky half grin appeared.  It was a look Ruby instantly fell in love with. Or, uh, she liked it a whole lot...it was super adorable...

“Do your weeks have eight days?” Weiss teased.

“What?  No - you know what I mean!” Ruby whined, and Weiss actually cracked a smile before waving for Ruby to follow her into the next room.  

When they walked inside, the lights automatically clicked on - while the lights behind them clicked off.  What a cool effect! Maybe Ruby could rig their lights to do the same thing...good luck to Blake sneaking around when the lights were on sensors!

“This is the downstairs living room -” 

“Does that mean there’s an upstairs living room??” 

Weiss nodded while leading them through the massive room filled with tables and plush chairs.  At the other end was another door that she pushed open and held for Ruby.

“And we have a small library here -”

“‘Small’ meaning it contains every book I’ve ever read,” Ruby joked while looking at the sheer size of the ‘small’ room stuffed from floor-to-ceiling with books.  “Blake would love this.”

“I have no doubt,” Weiss replied before walking back the way they’d come, accidentally brushing into Ruby’s elbow before quickly moving away.  “Through here is the kitchen and dining area.”

The theme of this place was apparently ‘huge,’ because that’s what everything was.

“Built for a king, apparently!  Or a princess,” Ruby commented, blushing when it sounded like she was calling Weiss a princess.  But Weiss kind of was a princess, wasn’t she?

“Or built by a giant,” Weiss added.  It sounded like she was completely serious, but the slight tilt in her lips gave away the joke and Ruby laughed.  

“Hey, better to have giants living here than ghosts!” she replied, her smile falling when Weiss’ expression suddenly grew more serious.

“Well…”  As the word trailed off, Weiss turned away.

“Wait.  You don’t actually have ghosts living here, do you?” Ruby asked, scrambling after Weiss into the foyer.  Weiss’ response was to laugh and wave her hand while moving up the grand flight of steps.

“Ghosts aren’t technically living, are they?  So I don’t believe they could live here…”

Chuckling nervously while following Weiss upstairs, Ruby couldn’t decide if she was kind of scared or just amused.  Was Weiss serious? It was hard to tell when she was turned away from Ruby, but it was a joke, right? It had to be a joke because ghosts weren’t real - unless someone watched the movies Yang liked, in which case ghosts were real and terrifying.

But it was a joke.  Who knew that Weiss had a more whimsical side to her?  Just another thing to lo - like a lot. 

Wow, what was with that word today?

Thankfully, this felt much more relaxed than before - like the awkwardness had faded away.  Or maybe Ruby just wasn’t thinking about it as often. They were the same people as yesterday morning, right?  Nothing had changed between them - except a lot had - but maybe it wasn’t as big of a deal as she’d made it out to be.  

“Door number one,” Weiss remarked with a grin while nodding to a closed door on the upper level.  “Why don’t you head in first?”

Weiss was totally messing with her now.  No way there was a ghost behind this door.  

“Just so you know,” Ruby said while reaching towards the doorknob.  “If there is a ghost living here, I’m going to scream and use you as a shield.”

Struggling to maintain a straight face, Weiss nodded and gestured towards the room again.  

Resigned to her fate, Ruby twisted the knob - slowly, so it wouldn’t make any noise.  Feeling Weiss’ warm presence right behind her, she carefully pressed the door inward...revealing nothing but a dark room beyond.  With her weak human eyes, she could barely make out the shape of a bed and what looked like a dresser and maybe another door that led to a closet or bathroom.

It was so dark!  There was an outline of light from the doorway, but beyond that, the room was completely black.  Where was the light switch? On the wall or something?

Taking a half step into the room with Weiss still right behind her, Ruby glanced towards the wall to find a switch, but her gaze stopped with a flicker of light caught her attention - nothing more than a slight glimmer near the bedroom window.  Her eyes locked onto the spot while trying to find what she’d just seen.

A chill suddenly shot up her spine, and, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a ghostly white figure raced towards her.  She turned just in time to see that it didn’t have a head and was reaching towards her throat!

A high-pitched something came from her throat as she backpedaled into the hall, tripping over Weiss’ feet and sending them both toppling to the ground in the well-lit hallway - only one of them laughing hysterically.

Heart pounding, Ruby stared while a fully formed, but more human-sized, version of Weiss’ soldier extended a hand to her.  The darn thing had its head now - which made it infinitely less scary than it had been seconds ago.

Accepting the ghost-white hand and popping back to her feet, Ruby offered both her hands to help Weiss up while a massive blush grew.

“You got me there…” Ruby said with an embarrassed chuckle, running one hand through her hair before pressing it to her quickly beating heart.  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“I’m fine.  Even if I wasn’t, that was completely worth it,” Weiss replied with a grin - her eyes sparkling in unconcealed amusement.  Clearly, she thought Ruby’s reaction was funny and...Ruby would gladly give herself a mini heart attack hundreds of times over if it made Weiss so happy each time.

“Ok, but which one is yours?” Ruby asked, her cheeks still flaming red.  “Now I’m too scared to check the others.”

“Oh.  Well, I’ve been staying in this one…” Weiss hesitantly said, walking down the hall and pushing open a door near them.  

When Ruby narrowed her eyes in suspicion, Weiss smiled and walked in first.  With the coast clear, Ruby bounced through the door right after. This was Weiss’ room!

In keeping with the rest of the house, it was big.  It seemed comfortable, but it didn’t feel like anyone really lived there.  There wasn’t a whole lot of stuff - not like Ruby’s room, which was filled with all sorts of odds and ends.  This room was mostly just furniture - like a chest of drawers with nothing scattered across the top, a bed with the covers perfectly tucked into place, and two bedside tables that carried two lamps and - 

“Oh!  I remember that guy!” she called out, pointing to the small metal butterfly she’d given to Weiss.  Walking over to the bedside table, Weiss picked up the contraption and held it in one hand. When the wings slowly flapped up and down, she smiled down at it.  

“It’s relaxing,” she said softly.  

While Weiss watched the wings, Ruby watched Weiss - again overcome with a feeling of peace when Weiss looked so calm and relaxed.

“I can make you more!  One for each room! Then you’ll never be far away from one.”

Tearing her eyes away and setting the butterfly down as carefully as if it was made of glass, Weiss sighed.

“But this one is special.”

Ruby wanted to argue that it was just a little butterfly, but there was no arguing with the look Weiss gave her.  Instead, she stayed quiet and nodded in agreement, which seemed to be the right answer from the pleased smile on Weiss’ lips.

“Come on, there’s one more room I want to show you,” Weiss said before heading back into the hall.

“If your sister doesn’t even live here, why did she buy it?” Ruby asked while obediently following Weiss down the hallway.

“I think at one point she expected to move here, but her plans changed.  Now it’s just another investment.”

While Weiss spoke, the hallway suddenly gave way to a much larger, more open room.  It must be the upstairs living room! Which was an appropriate description because it was filled with an extra comfy-looking white sofa and matching chairs.  But the thing Ruby noticed almost immediately was the ceiling.

“Woah, this is cool,” she said, looking through the massive skylight to the night sky above.  “Think I could get this in my room?”

“If your sister will let you cut a hole in the roof, maybe.”

“She totally would.  I just need to find something to blackmail her about!”  

When Weiss laughed, Ruby grinned - feeling incredibly accomplished from that sound alone.

“Knowing her, that shouldn’t be too difficult.”

As Weiss’ laughter faded away, they lapsed into a silence that was more comfortable than before.  The more they talked, the easier this seemed to be. At least for Ruby. They didn’t need to put all this emphasis on the past or any of that confusing stuff.  Sure, it was important, and they’d have to go through all of it eventually, but that was just it! They had plenty of time. 

Patience was important when facing any uphill battle - she learned that when she hadn’t been able to hold a spoon in her left hand.  Now look at her!

Turning to Weiss, Ruby took a deep breath and took a step closer - watching the way blue eyes curiously tracked her movements.  She only stopped when she was standing right in front of Weiss - so close that the tips of their feet were nearly touching.

But Weiss didn’t move away.  Which was good! Maybe this time she wasn’t going to run away - because Ruby had questions!  Well, the same question...

“You still...like me, right?” she asked quietly - going with the band-aid approach.  She meant as friends, but also more than that. She meant that feeling she had when Weiss looked at her the other day - the one that made her skin tingle and her heart flutter.

“Of course, Ruby.  I like you,” Weiss answered with one of those smiles that was too perfect to be real.  It was a dead giveaway that she was hiding something.

Unlike previous days though, Ruby was determined to find out answers.  It was killing her not knowing.  So today, right now, she was getting her answer.

“If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?”

Weiss’ blue eyes searched Ruby’s for a long time before she hesitantly nodded.

“I...will.  I promise.”

The promise immediately made nerves sparkle in Ruby’s veins while she shifted her feet in anticipation.  She was nervous to ask, but also nervous to know the answer. She really, really wanted it to be the answer she wanted.  Well, yeah, duh...but she had to ask before she’d find out!

“At Beacon...were we just friends?”  

This time, Weiss didn’t pretend that she didn’t know what Ruby was talking about.  Instead, she thought about the question for a long time before finally opening her mouth to speak. 

“Can I tell you a story?” she asked in return.  When Ruby nodded, Weiss took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.

“When I arrived at Beacon…” she began slowly, her hands clasping and unclasping in front of her.  “I had no intention of making friends. I was there to become the best huntress ever to graduate. I was going to be the leader of the best team.  I was going to change the world by myself. And then...I met you.”

“I’m fairly certain you had no such plans.  You were just happy to be there. When we became partners, and team members, I thought you were insufferable.  How was it that this young, early entrant was made team leader? Why was she treated like someone special? I was determined not to like you, but then...you were always so kind to me.”  Weiss paused and her brow creased, a frown set on her lips. “Even when I didn’t deserve kindness, you gave it without fail.”

It was hard for Ruby to imagine Weiss being anyone but the person she was today, but the frown made it clear this was something she regretted.  But the story didn’t end there.

“Eventually I decided, in my infinite wisdom, that I should tolerate you.  Maybe I could learn a few things - after all, your skill set and fighting style were far different from mine.  Before I knew it, I found myself enjoying your company. I willingly spent my free time with you. We trained together nonstop.  We walked to class together. For the first time, I never wondered who I’d sit with in the cafeteria or who would be my partner for class projects.”

Pausing again, Weiss’ bottom lip gave a slight tremble before she continued, her voice growing heavy with emotion.

“I was the insufferable one, Ruby.  I was conceited, arrogant, selfish, and thought I was always right.  No one would have blamed you if you didn’t like me. Instead, you went out of your way to be my friend.”

Looking at the ground, Weiss sniffed and quickly rubbed a hand across her nose.

It was so hard to see Weiss upset...instinctively, Ruby reached out and took both of Weiss’ hands in her own, trying to provide reassurance with a gentle squeeze.  After several seconds of solemn silence, Weiss cleared her throat and looked up.

“You were my f-first real friend,” she whispered, her voice wavering as tears clouded her eyes.  “And I...I fell in love with you.”

When Weiss dropped one of Ruby’s hands to run her fingers across her eyes, Ruby felt like a mule had just kicked her in the chest.  In a good way. Maybe. That probably wasn’t ever a good feeling, but holy mule was that actually true?

“I didn’t know what to do,” Weiss continued, speaking quickly now.  “It wasn’t supposed to happen - not at school, not on my own team, not you.  I convinced myself that it was nothing. That we were just best friends. Pretty soon I found myself fighting against it, trying to prove to myself that it was nothing more than friendship…”

Furrowing her brow, Ruby used her free hand to touch the ring around her neck.

“But...I loved you too,” she said, searching her mind for any memories to back up that claim but finding nothing.  

She didn’t remember it, but it felt like it was true because...well, she’d never been in love before, but could that be the warm feeling in her chest whenever Weiss was nearby?  Or those wonderful butterflies that happened whenever Ruby thought about her?

“I don’t know how that ever happened.”  

Wiping away more tears, Weiss mustered a self-depreciating smile that tugged painfully at Ruby’s heart.  Taking a half step forward - so they could be that much closer - Ruby reached up to touch Weiss’ cheek. And when Weiss leaned into Ruby’s palm, her heart skipped a beat.  Make that several.

It was kind of upsetting that Weiss didn’t understand how amazing she was.  It was upsetting that she believed it was a mistake that someone could have fallen in love with her, when it was actually quite easy to do.

“Can I kiss you?”

The question slipped out before Ruby even stopped to think about it.  Cheeks insta-flushing, she ran her hand through her hair when Weiss’ eyes snapped to hers in surprise.

“I-I mean, uh...well, I wanted to do it yesterday at Beacon, then I chickened out.  But now I still...I mean, yeah, I still kinda want to…but only if that’s like - something you’d be ok with...”

Weiss was still watching Ruby, blushing softly but not shying away from her eyes.  Then she nodded.

“Yes.”

The answer shocked Ruby so much, she was briefly worried her brain might completely malfunction.  But her brain held up and then the nerves hit - so many nerves.

“Ok, um…”

Taking another tiny step forward, she stopped and shivered - not from any cold, but from more nerves than she’d ever felt before in her life.  They were only inches apart now - close enough that Weiss needed to tilt her head slightly in order to look Ruby in the eyes.  Flushing deeply, she placed one hand on Weiss’ elbow only to drop it when her cheeks grew even hotter.

If only she could remember...maybe then it wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking to be this close and to think about crossing that line.  But she knew she wanted to cross that line...because Weiss looked at her like no one else had in her entire life. 

For Grimm’s sake, Ruby, get a grip on yourself.  Just do it.

Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and kissed Weiss right on the lips.  And Weiss moved closer, kissing Ruby back and sending tendrils of electricity shooting through her body, igniting a spark deep in her chest she’d never felt before.

It was like being alive - like every cell in her body was alive and tingling with excitement.  

It was only when Weiss pressed even closer, one hand clasping Ruby’s upper arm while the other slid to her waist, that Ruby broke away with a nervous chuckle - using her hand to keep Weiss from following.

“I’m sorry -” Weiss immediately apologized, her expression filling with remorse.

“No!  Don’t be sorry!  That was…um...” Clearing her throat, Ruby shook her head.  Her mind was spinning and her heart was pounding like a drum in her ears and chest.  

That was amazing, but she had no idea what was supposed to happen next.

Cheeks suddenly flushing, she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

“Oh my god - I’m so sorry!” she wailed into her palms.  “I’ve never done that before! Not that I remember. But don’t tell me!”

New levels of mortification were being reached when she heard a small laugh and a light hand gently pushed Ruby’s hands away from her face.  Looking up, she found Weiss’ eyes dancing merrily - an expression of true happiness she’d been dying to see again.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Weiss assured her.  And when she said those words, Ruby felt her awkwardness slowly disappear.  

When Ruby finally dropped her hands, Weiss smiled and pulled her in for a hug - a good hug.  A tender, really loving hug. Holding Weiss close, Ruby heard a soft sigh slip out from the girl in her arms.  The sound made her hug a little tighter, like maybe if she squeezed strongly enough, Weiss’ memories would seep into her.

If her mind had been a mess before…

THEY’D JUST KISSED!!  Holy COW! How had that even happened??  And they’d been together! Before - they’d been a thing.  An item.  

They’d been in love.

If they had been before, then they could be again.  And they could kiss again! Right? Because that was absolutely incredible.

“Then is this from you?” Ruby asked, breaking away and using her free hand to lift up the diamond ring hanging around her neck.  And she knew what it was now - it wasn’t just a ring - 

“Yes,” Weiss answered, her eyes never leaving Ruby’s.  “That was a promise we made to each other.”

That kind of promise.  

Her heart was never slowing back down.

“No wonder…” she muttered, looking down at the ring before turning back to Weiss and smiling.  “No wonder the more you were around, the less I felt like I needed it. You’ve been part of my strength all along!”

Letting out a shaky sigh, Weiss subconsciously touched a finger to her lips and made Ruby blush all over again.  

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Weiss commented, not noticing what she’d just done.

“That makes two of us!” Ruby quipped before reaching out and wrapping Weiss in another hug.  This time, Ruby lifted Weiss off the ground and spun her in a few circles before setting her down and smiling like a fool.  “Thanks for telling me.”

“Thank you for asking again.”

The two of them stared at each other for a long time - with grins set in place - before Weiss’ eyes briefly snapped up to the sky.  Following her gaze, Ruby found that it was now officially night time.  The skylight was filled with twinkling stars and a brightly-glowing moon.

“I should probably take you home now,” Weiss remarked, giving Ruby an apologetic smile.

“Uh...maybe I could stay here a little longer?” 

There was no way Ruby wanted to leave right now.  Not after this. 

Thankfully, Weiss seemed to agree by the relief that passed over her expression.

“You’re always welcome here, Ruby,” she stated sincerely.  “Could you let Yang know though? The last thing I want is her breaking down the door looking for you...”

Searching her pockets for her nearly-forgotten scroll, Ruby chuckled.

“I wish I could say that didn’t sound like her...” she muttered while typing out a quick message letting Yang know not to expect her home.  “Sent!”

Smiling cheerfully, she glanced around the room when an idea popped into her head.

“Hey, wanna do something fun?”

“Sure.”

Grinning, Ruby reached out to grab one of the sofa cushions before realizing she should ask permission when in someone else’s house.  “Oh, can I move these?”

“Of course.”

With permission granted, Ruby started collecting cushions and tossing them on the ground to form a giant bed of pillows.

“Wait here,” she directed Weiss before running over and flipping the lights off.

“How did you turn those off?” Weiss instantly asked, looking at Ruby like she’d just worked some kind of miracle. 

“Oh...uh...that light switch over there?  Was that not ok?”

Weiss stared at the switch for a long time before shaking her head.  “I tried that switch a hundred times…” 

“I’ve got the magic touch!” Ruby said before jumping onto the giant pillow bed she’d just created and patting the cushion next to her.  For a moment, it looked like Weiss might not follow, but then she shook her head again and laid down beside Ruby - the two of them looking through the skylight at the moon and the stars.  

“It’s like camping!  But without any pesky bugs,” Ruby explained while wiggling around to sink more comfortably in the cushions.

“And with much better company.”

The comment was the perfect trifecta - it made Ruby blush, her heart flutter, and darn if she couldn’t keep a smile from appearing on her lips.

“I’m guessing you already knew the story of my mom,” Ruby said, suddenly realizing that there were probably a lot of things she’d said that Weiss had already known.

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy hearing it again,” Weiss replied, immediately easing Ruby’s worry that she’d been super boring by repeating herself.

It was so easy to spend time with Weiss.  She just had this way about her that made Ruby comfortable no matter what was going on - even if memory bombshells were being dropped left and right.  

“What’s one thing you really miss from Beacon?” Ruby asked, scooting closer to Weiss - close enough that their shoulders just barely touched.

“Besides you?”

Ruby instantly blushed again.  

Wow, Weiss was getting really good at making her blush.  

“Yeah, like the food or something?” she clarified, although she didn’t mind the first answer one bit.

“Oh, the food was horrendous,” Weiss said with a laugh that lifted Ruby’s heart.  “There was this especially horrible casserole served every Wednesday...we found food elsewhere on those days.”

“Like where?”

“We took turns making dinner.  It was us and JNPR, the team across the hall.  One week, we were in charge of food, the next week they were.”

When Weiss laughed again, Ruby grinned.

“One time, Yang wanted to pull a prank on them,” Weiss began, laughing again at the memory.  “You know how she gets with pranks...and this time she went a little overboard. First, Blake and I were supposed to find as many worms as we could -”

Sensing a long story, Ruby rolled onto her side so she could watch Weiss while she talked, twinkling blue eyes still looking up at the night sky.

Ruby loved it when Weiss smiled or laughed.  And she loved listening to the sound of Weiss’ voice rising and falling with its own unique melody.  She loved seeing Weiss happy. She loved everything about Weiss.

“You were supposed to go to the store and get a box of chocolate cake mix.  Now, this is where the plan started to fall apart -”

Grinning, Ruby reached over to hold one of Weiss’ hands - her happiness growing when Weiss willingly let her.  

This was her partner.  They hadn’t been just friends.  They weren’t just friends.  And this had only brought them closer.  Like way closer.