Chapter Text
"Explain to me again," Weiss said, following Blake over to the next ring display, "why are we looking at engagement rings?"
"I'm going to ask Yang to marry me."
"Okay, see I heard that the first time," Weiss said, looking down at the displayed rings, eyes catching on a ring that screamed Yang.
Looking up at the salesman following along from behind the counter, she said, "We would like to look at this one."
"Of course, Miss Schnee."
As he pulled the keys to the display out, Weiss turned back to Blake, her brows furrowing, "but I still don't know why.”
"Did you find it?" Blake asked leaning over the display glass to see which ring the salesman was pulling out.
"Pay attention!" Weiss said, snapping her fingers in front of Blake's face, "why are you going to ask her to marry you?"
Straightening up, ears folding back and glancing at Weiss from the corner of her eye, "Well...um...I..."
Blake was struggling to get the words out, as she had been every time Weiss had pressed her on the subject.
This was not how she thought her morning was going to go, she was just enjoying her morning coffee, planning a fun weekend getaway with her girlfriend, when her roommate kidnapped her saying that she needs help finding the perfect engagement ring for Yang.
Weiss knew Blake was in love with the blonde, but asking her to marry Blake before she even asked her on a date was insane.
That didn't even take into account that in the five years of knowing her, Yang has never once shown an interest in women.
Sighing, Weiss turned to the salesman, "Give us a moment." Grabbing Blake she dragged her to the rear of the store, grabbing ahold of Blake's hands. "Its just me here Blake, you know you can tell me anything."
At that Blake finally looked her in the eyes, "I know, it's just this entire situation is making me crazy!" She burst out, one hand pulling out of Weiss grasp waving around the store as if that would explain the situation.
"What situation?" Weiss tried again, grabbing hold of the flailing hand, "maybe I'd be able to help if you actually *told* me what's going on."
"I need to get married," before Weiss could scream in frustration, Blake continued in a rush, "I need to get married to avoid an arranged marriage."
"What."
"You know, an arranged marriage, where I have to marry someone I didn't choose."
"Yes, I know what an arranged marriage is," Weiss snapped, glaring at her roommate, "what I don't understand is how you have an arranged marriage. Your parents would never do that to you!"
"I never said my parents arranged the marriage."
"God, Blake your killing me!" Weiss exclaimed, turning around, "I'm leaving!"
"Wait!" Blake said, grabbing ahold of Weiss's shoulder and spinning her around, "I'm sorry I'll explain, don't leave. It's just fun to wind you up."
Seeing her friends smiling face made her want to leave on principle, but she could still see the underlying nervousness and anxiety in the pinned back ears and slightly too tight grip on her shoulder.
"Alright, explain then." She said crossing her arms.
"You know how I'm going to be inheriting my parents company?"
"Vaguely." Weiss said rolling her eyes. As if she could forget, with them both being heiress of huge corporations.
"Well, there is an old by-law in the company charter that states that the heir to the company must be married to inherited the company." Blake continued, "and if the heir isn't married by their 25th birthday then the board of directors get to arrange a marriage for the heir."
"That's barbaric!" Weiss said, gapping at her roommate. "Can't your parents do something about that?"
"Yeah I know," Blake said, leaning back against the display behind her, "they've tried but they keep getting overruled by the board. Sienna has a pretty tight control over the rest of the board, they go with what she says and she wants me to get married to her choice of spouse."
"She's going to make you marry her cousin isn't she?" Weiss whispered, knowing she was right without a confirmation.
Sienna's cousin, Adam Taurus, has always had an obsession with Blake and it seems he found a way to force what he wants.
"Yes, that's exactly who they have arranged for me to marry." Blake said running a hand through her hair, ears pinned down in distress.
"That's why I need to get married before my birthday, I can't marry him!" Blake exclaimed, arms coming up to wrap around herself, eyes tearing up.
Stepping forward Weiss wrapped her arms around her friend. "I won't let that happen, we will get you married before your birthday, even if I have to marry you myself!"
Laughing, Blake hugged her friend back,"I don't think Ruby would appreciate that Weiss."
"She'd understand," Weiss shot back, "it's for a good cause!"
"Yeah, but the board wouldn't believe it was a real marriage," Blake continued, "with you being public with your relationship with her and all."
"Your right," Weiss said, pulling back staring blue eyes meeting gold, "but I won't let you marry that creep!"
"Thanks Weiss," Blake said quietly, wiping her eyes, "your a good friend."
"Of course I am!" Weiss said, getting a laugh out of Blake, "have you explained this to Yang then?"
"Um...no?"
"Are you going to explain it to her?" Weiss asked pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I was planning to tell her after I asked her to marry me." Blake said, kicking at the floor.
"Why not tell her before?" Weiss asked exasperated, "you know she'd say yes if you explained it to her!"
"I know that!" Blake said, pushing off the display, "but I need her reaction to be real! Everyone needs to see a genuine reaction from her to my proposal, this need to seem like a *real* relationship for the board to be satisfied."
"What if she says no then?" Weiss countered.
"She won't," Blake said, walking toward the waiting salesman.
Following after her, Weiss questions, "How are you so sure?"
"Because its Yang," Blake said.
"Your not letting your feeling for her delude you are you?" Weiss said, seriously questioning Blake's logic.
Gold eyes pierced into icy blue, Blake said "I'm not, I know she doesn't feel like that toward me."
"Then your setting yourself up for heartbreak." Weiss said, stopping Blake in her tracks.
"You shouldn't ask Yang," Weiss said, "your going to get hurt, she doesn't love you."
"But I love her Weiss." Blake said, Weiss's jaw dropped at that, she knew Blake was in love with the blonde. She had never expected Blake to admit it out loud.
"Don't look so shocked," Blake said, shoving her hands in her pockets, dropping her gaze, cheeks reddening. "You knew I love her."
Softening her face, Weiss reached out, "I know you do, that's why I don't think this is a good idea."
"She's the only one I can make this work with," Blake said glancing up, "I'm not a good enough actor to fake being in love with anyone else."
"Why do you need to be in love with the person?"
"It would be obvious that I was getting married to avoid the arrangement, the board would not take lightly to that." Blake replied, rubbing a hand up her other arm. "They would take away my status as heiress."
"That's what I was afraid of."
"Yeah." Blake said, looking to the ground. "Marrying Yang would be the only believable option."
"Well, I hope you know what your getting into." Weiss said, patting Blake on the arm.
"I do." Blake said, turning towards the salesman. "Let's go pick out a ring."
----
The ring was beautiful. The gold band twinned and twisting around the round cut diamond in the center, the metal a shimmering gold in the candle light, bring images of long blonde hair flowing in the summer sun.
Tomorrow she'd be asking the love of her life to marry her.
She snapped the ring box closed, she doubled over, forehead touching the closed box as the first choked sob past her lips. The ache she's had in her chest all day reaching the breaking point. She slipped of the bed bringing her knees up, the box still tightly clenched in her shaking hand, trying to muffle her sobs with her other hand.
She didn't want it to go like this, it wasn't supposed to go like this. The box hits the floor with a quiet thud, as gut-wrenching sobs tore through her chest.
She was going to ask the woman she loved to marry her.
A woman that would say yes, just because Blake asked.
A woman that didn't love her back.
Weiss was wrong. She wasn't setting herself up for heartbreak.
Her heart was already broken.