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A wintry gust of air blew Ruby Rose's cape around her. She stood atop a snowy peak, gazing down at her mother's headstone.
"Hi, Mom." She said, clasping her hands together before lowering her hood. "I know, it's been a while, and I promised I'd come back soon and tell you all about that guy I..." She trailed off, her cheeks reddening, "You know."
She shrugged. "Anyway, things are going... well, I guess. He's... really nice. Well, to me, anyway. His name is Mercury. Mercury Black. Yang says 'Hi,' by the way. She wanted to come with me, but I told her I was fine. She's doing a lot better in school. Weiss is helping her. And me, of course."
Ruby rolled her eyes lightly before smiling, "She seems to like me more than she did when we met. Blake is...well, Blake. Jaune is coming along with his training. Pyrrha has been working with him a lot. Nora is still Nora. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But, she and Ren seem happy, so there's that."
She laughed softly. "Anyway, I just wanted to see you and wish you a Merry Christmas. So.. Merry Christmas, Mom." She knelt down, placing a white rose on her mother's headstone.
Ruby turned, spotting Mercury near the treeline before turning back to her mother's headstone. "I'm glad I got to see you for Christmas." She nodded and turned, walking toward Mercury, "Hey, how'd you find me?"
"I have my ways," He replied, smugly. "Let's get back before the party starts."
"Okay," Ruby pursed her lips, "Do you think we could just skip the party? I mean, it's not important, is it?"
Mercury only laughed as he guided her away from the cliff-side.
The party was in full swing when they arrived. Ruby had stopped by her dorm room to change.
Well, Weiss had dragged her away to the dorm to convince her to change out of her hood and battle clothing, insisting that Ruby wasn't dressed appropriately.
Ruby changed into a black, red and silver dress made of silky, flouncy material. There was a small slip of fabric sewn to it that formed a little black shawl that draped over her shoulders. The top of the dress was black, and the skirt was red and patterned with silver.
When She finally stepped into the ballroom, she was stunned.
It was very different from the party that Yang and Weiss had thrown before.
Twinkling lights were strung everywhere, snowflakes dripped from the ceiling, and ribbons draped from the banister. Tables were speckling the floor as the previous party. But this one was very different. The air was different. It seemed more… formal.
"You look beautiful."
She whirled and saw Mercury, dressed in a tux.
"And you look..." Her voice cracked. She couldn't quite finish her thought.
Mercury guided her across the room. They both retrieved cups of punch.
"So, is it as terrible as you thought?" He teased.
"Not really," Ruby shrugged.
He grinned and took a sip of his punch, "I'm glad."
She nodded, looking at the red fluid in her cup.
"So," She looked up when Mercury spoke again, "May I have this dance?" He offered her his hand. Ruby faltered, blood rushing to her cheeks.
"I..." Mercury's features adorned a hopeful appearance. "Sure," She squeaked, setting her cup down.
She slid her hand into his and allowed him to pull her out to the dance-floor. She felt off-balance and awkward at first. But, she soon loosened up, and they danced together fluidly. She matched his pace and followed his lead.
After the song had ended, Mercury led her away from the dance-floor. Ruby was flushed, exhilarated. She met Mercury's eyes, a laugh bubbling within her. Soon they were both chortling.
"Do you guys know where you're standing?" Yang's voice reached their ears.
"Huh?" Ruby looked around.
Mercury's eyes rose to the place above their heads.
They were standing under a branch of mistletoe.
Soon everyone was chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!"
Ruby's cheeks darkened. She turned to Mercury, who shrugged as if to say it didn't matter either way to him. She stood on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his cheeks. The crowd cheered happily, and Ruby stepped back, rubbing the back of her head as she looked down at her feet. She turned and walked up to the balcony, covering her heated cheeks.
Mercury followed her, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Ruby said with a shrug, unsure of how to express her embarrassment. “I guess, I just…” She trailed off. “I always had this… I’m not sure what it was.”
“Go on,” Mercury prompted.
“Well, my dad, Yang and I had this tradition. We’d always fly to Vale during the holidays to see the Christmas lights. We could always see the lights from Beacon, sparkling and magical.” Ruby paused, looking down, gripping the banister, rouge painting her cheeks. “I just always wondered what it’d be like to walk through the courtyard, seeing the lights and the snow…” She trailed off, turning to Mercury, who’d been hanging on her every word. “It’s silly, I know.”
“No,” Mercury protested, before offering her his arm. She faltered before looping her arm through his. They descended the stairs together and wove through the crowd, slipping out of the ballroom silently. Mercury stopped to retrieve her hood and a pair of gloves for her.
“Your shawl, my lady.” He drawled, draping it over the shoulders of a giggling Ruby. He took her arm again, guiding her out to the courtyard. Even more, lights decorated their surroundings.
“Wow.” Ruby sounded awed.
They explored the courtyard, the grounds covered with a soft, powdery snow. Ruby released Mercury’s arm to walk over to an arch she hadn’t noticed, sparkling lights wound around it. She turned to speak to Mercury but saw that he’d turn to observe something else.
She stooped, scooping a handful of snow, packing it into a ball before reeling back, tossing at Mercury. The ball hit his shoulder in an explosion, causing him to jolt, grunting. He turned to her, his brows raised. Ruby adorned a look of absolute innocence.
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!” Mercury said, grabbing some snow.
Ruby broke into a run, squealing as she tore across the grounds. Mercury pursued her, tossing a snowball at her.
After several minutes, their snowball fight ended in a stalemate, both shivering and covered in melting snow.
Ruby brushed a dripping lock out of her face, gazing up at Mercury. He had returned her gaze before he looped his arm around her waist, his free hand gripping her chin gently.
She gave a soft yelp as she was yanked toward him before his lips found hers.
Mercury’s kiss was agonizingly slow, his lips moving against hers tenderly.
Ruby’s fingers somehow found their way into his hair as she returned his kiss. She felt dazed, excited and alive, all at once.
When Mercury finally broke the kiss, Ruby gasped softly, bringing her fingers to her tingling lips.
He emitted a soft chuckle, pressing his forehead to hers, and her eyes widened.
“Merry Christmas, Ruby Rose.” He whispered to her.
“Merry Christmas, Mercury Black.” Ruby replied.
They remained like that as a clock somewhere across the campus chimed the hour.