Same Old, Same Old - White Rose Oneshot (Patreon)

Just FYI - this one is a little more PG-13 than what I normally write.  I'm pretty sure most of you won't mind though!

***

There were few things Weiss enjoyed more than watching Ruby work her ‘magic’ on a crowd of strangers.  Something about it - whether it was the way her smiles put them at ease, or the way she laughed and convinced them to open up and start talking - never ceased to amaze.  

It didn’t feel like that long ago that Ruby asked Weiss to do the talking.  Now...she buzzed around the room on her own, helped in most part by a burgeoning confidence and self-assuredness that few could fake and even fewer actually possessed.

“Excuse me, Miss.”

Torn from her observation, Weiss felt a slight scowl appear while turning towards the unwanted interruption.

“Would you like a drink?” the waiter asked, offering his tray covered in wine glasses.  

Shaking her head and uttering a soft “no, thank you,” Weiss turned away and searched for Ruby amongst the crowd.  Unfortunately, her view was now obstructed by a group of recent arrivals, which gave her reason to grumble at the waiter who was only doing his job.

Fortunately, the obstacles noticed the tables of food on the far side of the venue and quickly moved on.  Content with the return of her view, Weiss leaned back and smiled when Ruby convinced another important-looking gentleman to laugh.  It looked effortless for Ruby and, most importantly, it looked like she was having fun.

“Hey, Weiss!”

Again, an interruption.  And again, a scowl when she was forced to turn away from Ruby.

“Damn, ok.  I know we’re not looking as good as Ruby, but jeez - act like we’re friends or something!”

When Yang and Blake stopped by the table - Yang sporting one of her signature grins - Weiss shook her head to rid herself of the momentary annoyance.

“Sorry,” she said before smiling and looking over her teammates’ outfits - a moderately-revealing, golden gown for Yang and a slim-fitting, dark purple gown for Blake.  “You two look nice.”

Yang, as usual, beamed at the compliment, while Blake glanced modestly to the side.  Weiss wanted to feel jealous at how amazing they looked, but by now she’d accepted that they were just one of those couples that always looked good together.  Somehow, their outfits coordinated and meshed together just right.  She’d questioned them on it before - suspecting they spent hours deciding what each of them would wear - but Yang insisted that their favorite colors just happened to coincide.

“You’re looking great too!” Yang replied, her eyes flicking over Weiss’ ice-blue dress before moving across the room.  “Although...not as great as Ruby.  Wow.”

Once upon a time, Weiss would have taken the comment as a snub.  Today, however, she smiled while finding Ruby standing across the room.  

Yang was probably referring to Ruby’s daring red dress that shimmered and clung to her in all the right places, but that was only the beginning of it.  Ruby had grown into a beautiful, vivacious woman.  Her energy and spirit shone brighter than the rest of them - and Weiss didn’t mind in the slightest.

When Ruby suddenly met her eyes, Weiss straightened in her seat and felt a shiver of thrill run down her spine.  The feeling only amplified when Ruby bid adieu to the couple she’d been speaking with and hurried back to the table.

“Hey guys!” she said, hugging Yang and Blake before standing by Weiss’ side.  “Glad you made it!”

“Fashionably late, as usual,” Weiss replied.  Playfully rolling her eyes at Yang, she stood up and held Ruby’s hand.

“You know we wouldn’t miss a party.”  Receiving a look of disbelief from Blake, Yang grinned and added, “I mean, you know I wouldn’t miss a party - and Blake wouldn’t miss the chance to support you.”

When Yang looked at Blake for approval, Blake said “Better” before trying to hide a smile.

“It’s going to start soon, right?” Yang added, holding Blake’s hand and looking at the clock hung above the main entrance.  “We’re gonna check out the food.  Be back in a bit!”

While Yang pulled Blake towards the tables of food, Weiss looked at Ruby and smiled.

“You look gorgeous,” Weiss said, earning herself a laugh and smile that made her heart jump with joy.

“You’ve told me that like three times already.” 

“I wouldn’t say three...” 

“When we got dressed, in the car on the way here, and right now.”  Ruby checked off each instance on her fingers then smiled when Weiss pursed her lips.  She’d learned long ago to accept being wrong, which happened a surprising amount with Ruby.

“Well, you are gorgeous,” she insisted, grabbing Ruby’s other hand before she could flash four fingers in the air.  

“What about you?” Ruby asked, intertwining their fingers and returning Weiss’ smile.

“What about me?”

“You’re the most beautiful person here.”  When Weiss laughed and shook her head, Ruby hurried forward.  “It’s true!” she said, squeezing Weiss’ hands for emphasis.  “You’re the most beautiful person in any room, actually.  And it’s not even close.”

While Weiss had a lot of arguments to that proclamation, she’d learned to accept the compliments or risk Ruby ‘proving’ her love in a more public and more embarrassing way.  Besides, what mattered most wasn’t the accuracy of the statement, but the fact that Ruby truly believed it - and proved it each and every day.

Leaning forward, Weiss kissed Ruby on the cheek and smiled.

“I love you,” she said, watching the sparkle of affection return to Ruby’s silver eyes.

“I love you too.”  For a long time, Ruby held Weiss’ gaze - then her eyes drifted lower and a grin appeared.  “And I love when you wear low-cut dresses.”

The spell broken, Weiss swatted Ruby’s arm while she laughed.

“Ruby!”

“What??”  Throwing her hands in the air, Ruby tried to fake an innocent expression.  “I’m not allowed to appreciate?  I thought we were supposed to appreciate more!”

When Ruby laughed again, Weiss rolled her eyes and looked towards the stage at one end of the room.  A crowd had grown in that area, featuring a photographer and several well-dressed announcers.  From the look of things, they were still setting up for the evening but would be ready soon.

“Are you nervous?” Weiss asked, turning away from the stage while Ruby shook her head.  

“Nope!” 

The response filled Weiss with pride.  She wasn’t the one accepting an award tonight, but she knew how nerve-wracking it was to stand on stage in front of this many important people.  Ruby, of course, was handling the situation with aplomb.

“Remember the first time you had to give a speech?” Weiss asked, smiling at the memory while Ruby laughed.  

“I thought I was going to pass out, I was so nervous.” 

“But you’re not anymore,” Weiss pointed out.

“Yeah, because I’ve learned how to manage it.”

“And what’s your secret?”

Thinking about the question, Ruby tapped her chin several times before smiling.

“I’ll show you.” 

As soon as Ruby took Weiss’ hand and led them towards the exit, Weiss felt her anticipation and curiosity grow.  Outside of the ballroom, guests milled around chatting with acquaintances while waiting for the event to start.  Several of those guests tried to get Ruby’s attention as soon as they spotted her, but she calmly waved and carried on towards the hallway on one end of the entryway.

Unlike the crowded entryway, the hallway was currently empty.  Slowing their pace to a comfortable walk, Ruby still held Weiss’ hand while leading them over to a picture hanging on the wall.

“Isn’t this cool?”

When Ruby pointed out the photograph, Weiss moved forward to look at it.  Her surprise only grew when she realized it was a picture of their team from years and years ago, taken some time after they moved into their first home together.  They looked young and a little naive, but happy.  

While they’d grown older and wiser, Weiss would argue they were even happier than they were on this day.

“Is this your secret?” she teased.  “This is how you keep your calm - looking at old photos?”

Ruby looked at the photo fondly, likely remembering that time just like Weiss was.

“No,” she finally replied, shaking her head when Weiss raised her brow.  “I just thought it was cool they had this here.”

“Then -”

“I stay calm by thinking about you.”  

Weiss’ breath caught in her throat when Ruby stepped closer and set a hand on her side.  

“I think about how you smell…” Ruby continued, trailing one finger through Weiss’ hair before tucking a stray strand behind her ear.  “I think about how warm you are...and what it feels like to be near you...to kiss you…”

While Ruby gently trailed her fingers down Weiss’ cheek, staring at her with heartbreakingly-earnest eyes, she couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not.  It was impossible to tell while her heart pounded so loudly in her chest, and her mind silently begged Ruby to step closer.

“It’s easy not to be nervous,” Ruby added with a small smile.  “Because I already have everything I could ever want.  All of this is just...extra.”

There were still moments, like these, when Ruby stole Weiss’ heart yet again.  It didn’t matter when it was or where they were - she found ways to leave Weiss breathless, like she felt right now while standing within inches of each other in the empty hall.

“Attention, everyone,” an announcer said over the microphone from inside the ballroom, his voice muffled but still loud enough to understand.  “Please make your way to your seats.  We’ll begin in just a few minutes.”

Ruby didn’t even look away upon hearing the announcement.  Instead, she held Weiss’ gaze with that same loving smile Weiss could never get enough of.

“You’d better kiss me -”

The words hardly left Weiss’ lips before Ruby pressed forward for a kiss.  That kiss quickly became two, which quickly became three as Ruby gently pushed Weiss against the wall beside their old picture, greedily taking her lips before their tongues clashed together.  

Feeling the cold, firm wall against her back and Ruby’s warm, unyielding presence in front of her, Weiss’ skin heated up with desire.  It didn’t help matters that Ruby’s hands were clutching her sides, silently alerting her to their growing hunger while their kisses grew more urgent and passionate.  

Wrapping her arms around Ruby’s neck, Weiss pulled the girl even closer - wanting nothing more than to remove every breath of space between them.  A roaring fire burned in her chest, and she knew kisses alone wouldn’t be enough to extinguish it - a fact made all the more apparent when Ruby’s hand slid up her thigh, catching on her dress and tugging it up in a way that made her moan into Ruby’s mouth.

“Ruby -” she begged when Ruby broke away only to trail kisses down her neck.  She knew they were in public and she knew they might get caught, but it was becoming harder and harder to care - 

“Calling Ruby Rose to the stage -”

They both froze at the announcement, and Weiss heard a soft protest slip past her lips when Ruby straightened up and looked towards the ballroom.  For several seconds, it looked like she might decide to skip the event so the two of them could abscond together.  While flattering, Weiss knew that wasn’t exactly an option - and Ruby did too.

“Guess it’s time to get this show on the road,” she said, giving Weiss an apologetic smile while reaching for her hand.

“I suppose it is…” Weiss muttered, accepting Ruby’s hand while the two of them hurried back to the ballroom.  Upon entering, she saw that most of the tables had filled since they left, and the stage was finally organized and ready for the event to begin.

Walking between the tables, Weiss felt more than a few eyes upon them and immediately wondered if they could tell - could they tell what she and Ruby had just been doing?  Was it obvious from the blush still on her cheeks, or her elevated breathing, or her slightly undone hair?

From the looks Blake and Yang gave them when Ruby walked Weiss to her seat, it was very obvious.  At least, it was to the people who’d known them longest.

“I’ll be back soon,” Ruby whispered while pulling Weiss’ chair out for her.  Once she sat down, Ruby gave her a much sweeter kiss and rubbed her back before heading up to the podium to a round of applause.

Weiss, meanwhile, stared in disbelief while Ruby graciously accepted the praise and shook the governor’s hand with a warm, welcoming smile.  When the man motioned for her to pose for a picture, she said something that made everyone around her laugh while they moved into position.  

She was the epitome of calm and collected, while Weiss still hadn’t caught her breath.  Her heart raced, her skin tingled with unspent energy, and a residual heat still radiated from her cheeks, yet Ruby somehow played it off as if nothing had happened at all.

There were many times when Weiss had tried to imagine what type of woman Ruby would become, but...her wildest dreams hadn’t even come close.  Incredibly smart, caring, sophisticated, and drop-dead gorgeous only began to describe who Ruby was, and Weiss found herself falling in love more and more every day.

“Weiss.” 

Startled from her thoughts, she glanced over her shoulder while Blake leaned close to whisper. 

“Your bra’s unhooked.”

Yang immediately started laughing while Weiss reached around and confirmed that her bra was, in fact, unhooked.  Struggling to put it back together without making it noticeable to the entire room, she caught Ruby’s eyes and shook her head.  When Ruby grinned and walked over to the podium to speak, Weiss chuckled to herself.

Some things never changed.