Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1.

The thing about being in love is that it’s hard. Not that Weiss knows about such idiotic emotions or anything, but one glance at Blake and Yang or Ren adn Nora is enough for her to balk at even the idea of feeling that way about another person. It’s a difficult sentiment to grasp, like she’s looking into a void of inky darkness knowing that she’s missing something, but can’t quite understand what. But, it doesn’t necessarily bother her or anything unruly like that, she has her studies, her ambitions, and her sort-of/maybe friends to tide her over until she finishes up at Beacon Academy and heads back to Atlas.

The thing about being in love is that is shouldn’t have happened.

Weiss had a plan, you see, a perfect step by step way to claim her birthright and subtly flip her father off while she waltzes into the sunset, a company in her hands and a legacy to fix. First she’d go to Beacon, she’d be the best, be the leader of an amazing team, get only the highest grades, save a couple of people, and look good doing it. By ‘look good’ she means that she’d build such a startling reputation that the Atlas board members would have no choice but to be civil with her, and then she would strike—coiled like a snake with fangs twice as sharp—taking over the SDC by an effective but brutal coup d'etat. 

Sure, the first couple of steps might’ve been a bit… muddled, but that didn’t mean she couldn't jump out on top of anything, after all she still didn’t have too many pressing distractions—

She wakes up in a cold sweat one day in the middle of the night and finds that every standard she’d held herself up to had been effortlessly shattered by the careless whims of an overactive imagination. 

“Shit.” She mumbled to herself. “Oh shit.” 

Normally she wouldn’t ever be so crass, but the revelation she had called for a bit of the more… unsavory parts of her vocabulary to come forward. She closes her eyes, trying to banish the pictures from her mind—hair like fire and eyes like mirrors—forcing herself to take a deep breath and calm down. 

It’s safe to say it doesn’t quite work out the way she hoped for. 

The morning after is a torturous affair. Make-up hides the dark smudges of exhaustion under her eyes, her face is paler than before—making all of her features look altogether more sharper and cruel. Cold. She looks into the mirror. Her face is cold. 

“Whoa! You good, Ice Queen?” Her teammate Yang asks her when Weiss leaves the bathroom, clothes impeccably straightened out and a sense of total aloofness in her posture. The girl scratches at a mane of blonde hair sheepishly. “You’re up earlier than usual.”

Weiss knows immediately that there is no way to talk Yang out of her concern. She knows it’s because, though she doesn’t seem like it, she always tends to sleep in a little later than the rest of her teammates—only because living at the manor conditioned her to wake up extremely early. So, she liked to take a little extra time to rest in the mornings at Beacon, a small insult to her unknowing father and a tiny reward for making it out of his grasp. 

“Fine.” She snapped back. Her voice is chillier than intended, but she does not allow her expression to falter. Weiss doesn’t bother to provide an explanation to Yang, picking up her school bag and leaving the dorm before Ruby and Blake can wake up. 

The day only gets harder after that. 

Somehow, Yang has managed to convince everyone that Weiss is having a bad day—making it so that she is constantly being flocked by good company and kind smiles. It’s something she’d normally appreciate, not being alone with her thoughts for too long, and her team knows how she gets after the occasional phone call with a family member—so they know how to combat her negativity and make her feel better. 

Here’s the thing, this bad mood is entirely different than the ones she’s usually thrown into by her father. (So she’d really just rather be alone and sulk a little, maybe try and process that she’s never going to be able to settle her heart in peace .)

Pyrrha follows her around. 

It makes Weiss want to rip her hair out. 

Pyrrha is usually someone who can cheer up Weiss quite easily during an especially bad day, and now that she thinks about it—so is Ruby. But considering the fact that a good half of her inner turmoil is being caused by her, Weiss can’t really find it in herself to relax.

Her stiffness only seems to worry Pyrrha more.

During second period, she notices the worried glances that the taller girl keeps shooting her (not too subtly) and suddenly has the strangest desire to cry . (Which is strange, considering she’s not shed a single tear since she was twelve.) She catches her gaze once, and Weiss can feel herself soften—can feel her eyes daze and her shoulders slump backward. Weiss Schnee, ice block incarnate, melts. 

Pyrrha is warm. She is part of the fire in the hearth of a soul, she brings care and tenderness to every being she makes contact with—every aura she inadvertently touches. It is as if though with a single lock of their gazes that Weiss can feel her hands brushing against the frost that aligns her cheekbones, the small icicles that hang from her fine blonde eyelashes, turning the ice that coats her body to steam.

This only makes Weiss even more frustrated, so she snaps back to the lesson, shoulders higher and posture stiffer than it had been before.

“Weiss.” Pyrrha stops her on the way to their next class. “Are you well?”

It makes her jaw lock up tight, teeth clenched and nose wrinkled. Her tongue is glued to her mouth, she is unable to utter a single word, and she finds herself able to do nothing but look into Pyrrha’s eyes. They are so green —a flame, a Greek fire. (Weiss finds herself wondering if this color actually exists, or is it claimed by Pyrrha alone, unique and special in all the ways the warrior in front of her is.)

“Weiss?” Pyrrha asked again, and no amount of ignorance can stop her from hearing the concern in her voice. 

“Fine.” She manages to spit out. “I’m fine.” Maybe if she says it enough it will come true.

“Hey.” Pyrrha says, and the way she sounds—like velvet and silk and everything soft or gentle in the world—makes Weiss want to cry. The warrior places a comforting hand on her shoulder, her fingers effortlessly wrapping themselves around her shoulder blade and steadying her with idle taps to her skin. “I’m here if you need to talk, I care about you, okay?”

Pyrrha’s touch burns. 

(Weiss wonders if her clothes will have singe marks where her hands settled upon her.)

The desire to open up is there faster than a bullet, though the wound in her heart bleeds out all the same. “I’m fine.” Weiss says. She looks away, unable to face the look in Pyrrha’s eyes. 

I’m scared. I’m so so very scared. Pyrrha what am I supposed to do? You are so wonderful and loving and kind and I want to kill seven different people every other minute!

“I’m fine.” She whispers again. (A repetition: 'if she says it enough, she might even start to believe it.')

2.

“What do you mean Pyrrha couldn’t cheer her up?!” 

Weiss freezes the second she opens the door to her dorm. There is a split second where her face is one open and easily readable, where there is fear and sorrow and self-loathing so plain as day on her face even the most oblivious could make sense of her. In a flash it is gone—replaced only by contempt. (She isn’t faking it, she does not appreciate being talked about like this.)

She decides to be cruel. Weiss walks into the room undeterred, no hesitation in her stride as she makes her way to her bed. She easily removes her school bag from her person, swiftly putting her things away as she idly taps her fingers against the hem of her skirt. 

Her team watches on in silent horror. 

Weiss ignores them. 

She wonders if she should go to the library… yes, that’s a good idea. There she could make a call to Atlas and try and make contact with Winter. Her sister is more knowledgeable about personal life management than anyone Weiss has ever met before. (Well, she’s the only one that Weiss trusts enough to not demand answers of her in such a way that her father will know by the next morning. Other than Klein, of course, but he would just tell her to follow her heart, and she doesn’t have the time, or the energy for that.) So Weiss soldiered forward, determination dripping from her eyes instead of tears.

“Weiss?” Ruby’s voice comes out as hopeful, and it makes her hairs stand on end. “Um… listen, about all this—”

“I’m going to the library.” She cuts her off, her back turned to her team. (She doesn’t see Ruby deflate.) “I’ll see you all at dinner.” 

“Er—alright.”  

Weiss stalks out of the dorm room, legs striding quickly and smoothly, even through her distress she somehow manages to hold a small degree of elegance and sharpness to her movements. Her heels clack against the floor, loud and imposing. Other students who have the misfortune of looking at her while she walks forward are quick to jump out of her way, jerking away from her as if burned. Though she does not show it, she takes a small amount of pleasure from how quick they are to get away from her—a testament to the reputation she has. (If this were happening anywhere but Beacon, she might be disgusted—because anyone else would flee because of the name ‘Schnee,’ but here it is because she is strong, and she has real power.)

She approaches the separate room in the library students use to have long-distance calls and pauses. Her next course of action hinges on the assumption that Winter would (either grudgingly or happily) take a moment from her day to day life to talk to her little sister. The thought alone is enough to make Weiss hesitate outside the door. Winter was unpredictable when it came to these matters. There was a good chance that she may simply tell Weiss to get over it. She chewed on her lip, but there was also a good chance she may genuinely wish to help her. 

Weiss supposed she’d have to take that chance. 

She found herself sitting in front of a blank screen, leaning onto the palm of her hand as she waited for the call to patch through to Atlas. It had taken her a moment to request where she wanted to call, nervousness and a lingering sense of reluctance shrouding her in a blanket of cowardice. But, she managed to finally place the call, though it may have taken her a moment. She thought that deserved a little praise, and appropriately patted herself on the back. 

“Hello, Schnee Dust Company, how may I direct your—” The woman on the screen blinked. “Miss Schnee.” It was a different receptionist than the last time she had called, and for that she was most grateful. “How may I help you?” The woman suddenly sounded much more earnest.

Weiss held back the temptation to roll her eyes. “Yes, I was hoping that you could patch me through to one of my family members.” She couldn’t outright ask for Winter, that would only make it back to her father, and he would begin to pester the both of them until it was revealed why Weiss called. 

“Yes, ma’am.” The receptionist nodded her head respectfully, moving to type something into her computer. She hummed a little, making a squeaky ‘ah’ noise when she finally found what she was looking for. “It seems that both your mother and your brother are available to answer a call. Your sister and father are both in meetings until eleven o’clock.” 

Weiss tried not to grimace. She couldn’t talk to Winter for another six hours. Chewing on her lip absentmindedly, she swallowed her pride and said, “Please ring my mother.” It was better than trying (and most likely failing) to talk to Whitley, she reasoned, and at least she knew her mother would do all in her power to keep things brief. Bile rose in her throat, oh what a family she'd been gifted.

“Right away, Miss Schnee.” The receptionist hit something on her keyboard, and the screen faded to light gray as the call went through.

Weiss took that moment to release a shaky sigh. It appeared she wouldn’t be able to talk to her sister about her… issue. For a moment, Weiss considered confiding in her mother—but then dismissed the idea entirely. Willow had enough on her shoulders dealing with her father’s… everything, she didn’t need Weiss’ worries on top of that. 

The thing about Willow Schnee was that she used to be a good mother, used to hold her children and tell them bed time stories, used to smile and laugh and tell Weiss that she loved her. There had been a warmth about her, a love that seemed unending, irrevocable, unbreakable—but it all changed in a split second. Now her mother was a drunk, confined to the gardens of Schnee manor, hiding in her room from her husband and her children. Her father was a very cruel man, and by the time her mother had seen it, it had been far too late for her—self-destruction was imminent. 

The screen blinked back up, and she was met with eyes similar to her own. Only… they are dimmer, glossed over and flecked with gray instead of the lighter shades that are apparent in each of her children. Weiss doesn’t know where the thought comes from, but she finds herself comparing her mother’s eyes to the ocean in a storm, and her own to the much calmer tones of a bright blue sky. Is that how my eyes will look when I’m older? She thinks to herself. Dark and blue and entirely too gone?

“Weiss.” Willow begins, and there is a degree of shock on her face that makes bitterness surge up inside of her—filling every cell in her body, thrumming aside her pulse and throbbing in her fingers and chest. 

“Hello, Mother.” She begins, swallowing the spiteful thoughts that threaten to make themselves known. “I wanted to speak with you.” A lie, but Weiss thinks it’s warranted in this situation.

“Did you now?” Willow’s gaze narrows, shrewd and suspicious. Not that she blames her of course, the only one of her children she’s been around is Whitley, and he only talks to her when he wants something. “What about?”

“I—” She grits her teeth, and decides that maybe following through and talking to her mother was a bad idea. “I wanted to check on you.” The sentiment is genuine, even though she had no real desire to ever contact her mother ever again. Weiss loves her, truly she does, but there is always a wall between the two of them—a space that separates them from speaking to each other… like they used to.

Willow hums, saying nothing, her face is blank. Like an unused canvas. Weiss wonders if she’s lost her paint brushes. 

“Why are you calling, Weiss?” Willow asks her, and though her voice is soft, it is clear that she does not believe a single word that comes out of her daughter’s mouth. 

Weiss grips at the edge of the table tightly. She doesn’t want to be playing these games with her mother, the endless amount of riddles and deception that linger with every interaction the two have. “I wanted to check on you.” She says again, less calmly then the first time. “It is... clear now, that doesn’t matter.” She mumbled bitterly. “I’ll end the call.” 

Her mother does not object. 

Weiss leaves the library with a colder look than the one she walked in with. 

Hours later, she sits outside on a bench, shivering a little and watching the sun set. Orange and yellow bleed into a vivid purple, and Weiss can’t help but be fascinated at the sight of everything. An absolutely painful pang of yearning hits her harder than anything before, and for a moment it hurts to breathe. She wants, Weiss knows that she wants—but for the life of her she can never tell for what.

A small beep goes off in her coat pocket, and she rolled her eyes when she realizes it’s Ruby reminding her that dinner has started. It’s a touching sentiment, which only makes her even more annoyed than before. Still, resolving herself, she rises to her feet and moves to the mess hall. Weiss hopes that her team doesn’t make her participate in a conversation. She gets her dinner silently, only opening her mouth to thank the staff who work there. (They very openly blink in surprise, but Weiss can’t quite muster up the energy to feel offended.) She sits on one of the tables by herself, and hopes to all of Remnant that her team doesn’t find her. 

“Weiss!” 

She’s never hoping for anything ever again.

Ruby slides into the seat next to her, Blake and Yang plopping themselves down in front of her. Ruby’s smile is one for the record books, bright and beaming and just the right amount of sweetness to make the pain in her chest go away. (Until she realizes that Ruby was one of the reasons she was hurting and all the agony returns as though it never left.)

“You saved us seats.” Ruby begins happily. “I was afraid you wouldn’t bother coming to dinner at all!” 

Weiss doesn’t outwardly react, but inwardly she flinches. “Sorry for worrying you.” She mumbled flatly, returning to her meal. It’s spaghetti night. One of the staff had given her an extra piece of bread, she eats that first. (She also makes a note to thank them more often.)

“Oh, um—” Ruby falters, scrambling to say something positive. She makes a pained noise in the back of her throat and shoots a look to her sister that screams ‘help!’

“Say, Ice Queen—” Yang begins, fully expecting Weiss to bristle at the nickname, but frowning when she doesn’t respond. “—you, uh, ran out of the dorm pretty quickly.” She stumbles, and it isn’t hard to see that she and Ruby are actually related. “We… well we kind of wanted to know—” Yang was cut off by Blake’s judgmental groan.

“Listen up, Weiss.” Blake begins, all business. Her voice is blunt enough to make Weiss actually look up at her. “We know that something is wrong—” She barely manages to contain a snort at Blake’s words, “—and we know that you might not want to talk about it, but we want you to know that we’re here for you, and if you need anything you can always rely on us.”

Weiss was momentarily touched, until her moodiness hit her full force when she was met with the arrival of team JNPR.  

“Thank you.” Weiss mumbled, as the others settled themselves in. “But I’m fine.” 

“Weiss—” Ruby begins, though Weiss isn’t looking at her. 

Promptly, because she didn’t believe in staying somewhere she didn’t want, Weiss stood and lifted her tray—dumping the barely touched food in the trash and walking away from them. She knew that by doing this she was only proving to her team that she was not, in fact, fine—but she couldn’t stand to be so near to the afflictions of her heart. She feared she might do something uncouth, or too obvious, and then her heart would be painted for all to see on her sleeve. 

A Schnee is never not cordial. She repeated the phrase over and over again in her head. A Schnee is never not cordial.

(A Schnee is never not cordial in front of others who may bring unforeseen consequences on the family for being seen in an unapproved emotional state.)

3.

Here’s the thing: Weiss Schnee shouldn’t be having these feelings. She just shouldn’t be, it just isn’t done—not for her, and certainly not at a time where every move she makes will be scrutinized by the stupid stuffy ‘nobles’ in Atlas. So she does her best to get rid of them, extra studying? She’s on it. What’s that professor? You need someone to leave the class where Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose are in and run down these papers to the headmaster? She’s got it handled. Oh, you need help to run some sort of shady errands in Vale, Neptune? She’ll help, no questions asked.

Anything to get her mind off of things. (Anything to get away from them.)

“You’ve gotta stop doing this.” Sun approached her, hands on his hips, trying to look chastising. 

She stiffens immediately, she doesn’t know this boy that well, and she doesn’t really want to. But since she’d helped Neptune with his… errands, he’d been hanging around her more, and that meant Sun was hanging around her more too. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said simply, returning to the essay she was writing. (An extra credit assignment, not that she needed it exactly—but it was a good distraction.)

Sun huffed, sliding onto the library table and leaning over her, blocking the textbook she was reading out of. “C’mon, Chill Girl, you’ve been avoiding everyone but me and Neptune for a month.” 

Her eye twitched at the nickname. He’d been trying to find one that suited her for weeks , claiming that he couldn’t copy his best friend and use something like ‘Snow Angel’ something she wasn’t sure she was thankful about yet.

“I’m—”

“Yeah yeah, you’re busy-busy !” His tone was slightly mocking, but there was a small amount of genuine concern in his face that made Weiss hesitate. “I know you’re a bit put out, Killer Frost, but this is starting to get a little ridiculous.” 

“What do you mean?” She asked with a sigh, leaning back into her chair and away from him. Sun Wukong had no concept of personal space… now that she thought about it, he didn’t seem to have a good grasp on a lot of social expectations. She wondered if she should be gentler with him, but decided to think about it some other time.

“Well…” He grinned, dragging out the word as shamelessly sprawled himself further onto the table. Sun leaned his head onto the palm of his hand, laying down and facing her. “It’s gotten to the point where your team is pretty convinced your dating me, Neptune, or the both of us.”

She wrinkled her nose automatically. “Gross.”

Sun scoffed playfully, dramatically gasping and placing a palm over his chest. “How rude! These are legitimate concerns of the people!” His teasing smile never faltered. “But c’mon, Ice Cream, we’re friends now, aren’t we? You can trust me, I won’t spill your secrets.” He scowled. “Unlike Neptune, who is a total blabbermouth I swear to God.”

Weiss blinked. Was she… actually considering opening up to him? Worst of all, was she actually okay being friends with him!?

(It appeared the answer to both of those questions was yes.)

“Wukong,” She begins, “have you ever been in love?” 

“Oh.” He says, and the look of pure understanding on his face hurts her more than she would care to admit. “Who?” He asks softly, lowering his voice as he leans a little closer to her. There is a small frown on his face, sad and gentle and far too sympathetic for her to handle. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me—obviously, I mean, if you want to open up to me—” He scrambles. 

The sight of the usually unflappable Sun Wukong blushing and stuttering is an image that brands its way into her heart. He was usually far too oblivious to realize when something would be embarrassing or uncomfortable for someone else, but he’d gotten to understanding her as a person well enough for him to see what lines exist in front of her. It’s a touching sentiment, and Weiss knows suddenly that she would allow this boy a place next to her for a long time. (Even if that position is granted with much reluctance.)

“It’s Ruby.” She admitted, eyeing him warily. “And Pyrrha.” 

He blinks. “Well fuck.” Truly, his eloquence is unmatched.

She cringes at his response, but Sun keeps on talking as though he hadn’t seen her. 

“The two of them? Fuck, dude, that’s…” He makes an explosion sound, “Mind blowing, shit—you’re avoiding them, right? This is why…?” He trailed off for a moment. “Pyrrha’s got a really big crush on Jaune, and I don’t think Ruby would ever actually…” He screws up his eyebrows, mouth tipping downward. “I’m so sorry.” Sun whispers solemnly. 

“It’s fine.” Weiss states dismissively. "Really, it is."

(Let it be known, that it was in no way, shape, or form—fine.)  

He tilts his head in disbelief. “You okay with a hug?” He opens his arms, gesturing her to fall into them. “You look like you need one.”

She considers him. “Scoot over.” 

Delighted, Sun moves, pushing back the books and work to the side, making room for Weiss to lay next to him on the table. She scoffs at the sight of his tail swishing, excited and hyper-active. Weiss carefully curls herself next to him, bringing her knees to her chest and pressing her legs against Sun’s own, who’s unconsciously copied her position. It isn’t a hug, isn’t as intimate as bringing their bodies close together and breathing in the aura of the other, but it is enough for her—and for Sun, who smiles so softly when he meets her eyes. 

They stay like that for a while, breathing the same air and whispering about trivial things, she thinks it’s what having a close brother is like. (She thinks about Whitley, then, and the guilt she feels is overwhelming. Weiss loves him, truly, she does—but she doesn't think he could ever learn to tolerate her.) Sun notices her frown, and takes her hand—inhibited, words of her brother and disgust and anger at her fill the air. He listens to her, really listens, and something slots into her brain—she understands Sun a little better, after. 

She isn’t the only one who vents. 

“I miss being able to move around.” He whispers into her hand, bringing it close to his mouth—his breath tickles the skin there. “It’s hard, you know? I’m from Vacuo, one of the tribes.” He doesn’t call his family by their name. “When I moved to Mistral, and started at Haven… I couldn’t do anything.” Sun looked mournful. “It was so strange—staying in one place, being in one area for so long… It made me a bad leader, it still makes me a bad leader.” He closes his eyes, lashes brushing against her fingers. “That’s why my team is here, for the Vytal tournament, I couldn’t stand the idea of staying at Haven so long, so when the opportunity came to jump ship, I took it.”

Sun moves her hand to his forehead, and instinctively she began to play with the blonde wisps of hair that kissed his tan skin. 

“I know that Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet don’t blame me—they already know how it was in Vacuo—but that didn’t stop me from feeling like I was letting them down somehow, like I didn’t belong.” Sun admitted softly. “Sage says I’ve been getting better, and that they all think I’m a good leader—but I don’t want to be just a ‘good leader’ I want to be someone they can count on… like Ruby is.” He mumbled, he opened his eyes, watching to see if he was allowed to talk about her. 

Weiss continued to stroke his hair, a silent plea for him to continue. 

“It was so crazy when I met you guys, your team… Blake.” There’s a glint to his eyes that indicates he understands the turmoil that bubbles inside of her when she thinks of Ruby or Pyrrha. “You all seemed to represent… what I wanted to be, what I wanted all of my team to become.” Sun closes his eyes again. “Ruby was so brave… and so cool—just by being able to keep a clear head and strategizing so that you could take down Torchwick…” He grinned, doing little finger guns with the hand not holding hers. “ ‘Ice-flower!’ She shouted, and you all knew exactly what to do, ’Freezerburn!’” He giggled. “I just want to be able to reach my teammates like she does, to be able to understand them…” He frowns. “I’ve never been too good at understanding when people are angry, or sad—happy is easy, ‘cause I know what happy feels like and I know how to look for it. But angry and sad are hard, ‘cause I can feel them—but I just can’t see them.” 

He sighed. “I just sucks, is what I’m trying to say… I don’t want to be the reason my team is totally boned sometimes—let that be Neptune’s fear of water, or Scarlet’s need to have perfect eye-liner all the time!” He pouted, screwing his eyes up tighter. "I just want to be better for them, is all." 

Weiss hummed, not stopping as she combed her fingers through his hair. “If you ever need to talk.” She mumbled, “I’m here for you.” 

“Thanks Weiss.” Sun smiled, broad and wide. “You’re a good friend.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she shifted awkwardly. “Of course I’m a good friend!” Weiss paused, her voice had been shriller than she meant it to be. Taking a deep breath and realizing she should say something else to him, she clenched her jaw a little, “You are too, by the way... a good friend, I mean.” 

Sun smiled wider. “Thanks.”

They stayed like that for a little while longer. Weiss was relaxed, she was okay, and she had the company of a well meaning dunce to make her feel better. It was… nice.

That was, until footsteps began to approach them. 

“Oh!” A soft, familiar, voice exclaimed—making Weiss cringe to herself. She turned her head, meeting the gentle green eyes of one Pyrrha Nikos. 

“Sup, Pyrrha.” Sun greeted, not bothering to move from his position.  

Weiss rolled her eyes, sitting up and ignoring Sun’s whines when she pulled away from him. “Hello.” She greeted, not quite knowing else what to say. She was far too exhausted to deal with the fact that Pyrrha had caught them in a compromising position. 

“Weiss.” Pyrrha begins, but her gaze continues to dart between her and Sun, lingering on the lack of space between them. She closes her eyes for a moment, before smiling brightly. “Your team is looking for you.” 

Weiss looked away from her, clenching her teeth. She barely noticed Sun place a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“I think it’s time you talk to them.” Sun said. “I know it’ll be super hard, but I think you can do it.” He rubbed her shoulder. “It doesn’t even have to be the biggest problem, just something that justifies your behavior… your team might become imbalanced if you don’t, Snow Empress.”

Weiss can hardly contain her snort. “Snow Empress, really? Was that the best you could come up with?” She played off his words, but knew that what he was saying had real merit. Weiss would have to consider his idea.

“It’s better than Ice Queen.” Sun protested, easily vaulting off of the table and beginning to help her pack her things. He shoves her essay in her bag upside down, but she can’t chastise him for being careful while his words continue to warm her. “I mean, it could be worse, I could be like Neptune—calling you Snow Angel and making those weird flirty eyes he does.” Sun grimaces. “Like, take a hint, dude.”

This time, Weiss doesn’t hide her laugh. “Whatever you say, Wukong.” She turned away from him, allowing her eyes to meet Pyrrha’s. There was something familiar about the way the other girl was looking at her, but for the life of her, Weiss couldn’t figure out what. “Thank you for telling me.” She says finally, nodding her head a little. 

Pyrrha’s smile softens, and Weiss realizes that this one is far more genuine than the one she had on before. “Of course.” 

Weiss returns the look with the small quirk of her lips, before she finds that looking her in the eyes any longer may lead to nothing short of a panic attack. 

4.

When she finally returns to her dorm room, she is thoroughly unsurprised to find her team positioned around the area with a clear goal in mind. Christ. She thinks, It’s an intervention. 

Blake was laid with her back to the wall on top of her bunk, a book propped in her hands that was clearly meant for show. (The cover was upside down, and she was drumming her fingers idly against the pages.) Her striking eyes watched Weiss walk into the room closely, gaze scrutinizing and suspicious. 

Yang was leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed as she looked right at Weiss, not bothering to hide the fact that she was staring. There was a hard set in her jaw, making her mouth a thin line instead of the usual smile or jubilant expression. 

Ruby, contrasting her other teammates, was pacing the length of the room, stopping right in front of Weiss. Ruby must have just been about to turn and pace again when she opened the door. Her eyes were scrunched up, worry and anxiety clear as day on her face—and Weiss was suddenly overwhelmed by the influx of guilt that washed over her senses. 

Sun had been right, she realized, she’d have to open up to her team about something if she wanted to maintain the status quo. She chewed her lip, dodging Ruby and beginning to unpack her bag. Weiss pursed her lips when she pulled out her essay and noticed the wrinkles—and a bit of yellow marker. 

Good luck, Snow Empress!!! Don’t forget what we talked about, kay? — ur bff, Sun

She snorted, eyeing the plethora of smiley faces and hearts he’d doodled in the margins, and smoothed out the creases before placing the essay in one of her folders.

(She missed her teammates exchange wide-eyed looks.)

“Weiss?” Ruby began, leading—like always. “I think we need to talk to you about something.”

Her eyes remained one her bag, and she forced herself not to outwardly show any of her anxiety. “Of course.” She agreed, turning and sitting on her bunk. She waited patiently for them to continue, all the while thinking hard about what she was going to say.

Yang shifted uncomfortably. She looked thrown, like she hadn’t expected Weiss to be so easy to talk to. “You’ve been… distant, for about a month now.” Her voice was hesitant, and she cringed with every word she spoke. “Something happened.” It wasn’t a question.

Weiss remembered her dream, the first of many. (Flowy red hair and silvery eyes.) “Yes.” She agreed. “I’m dealing with it.”

“You can’t bear all your burdens alone.” Blake warns her. 

“I’m not.” It slips from her mouth accidentally, a protest—and Weiss curses herself for being so hasty. She had been relying on Sun, now, and if someone had seen her they could easily mistake—

“You haven’t been sharing anything with us.” Yang frowned. “So, assuming you aren’t just objecting to everything we say, who?”

Weiss could barely control the urge to get up and run away. “I don’t see how that’s important.” She says slowly, her thoughts rapid and short—like a raging river bounding around in her skull. “But…” She bites her lip, “I do want to tell you about…” Come on! Come on, choose one— “Something.” Fuck! 

She couldn’t decide what to open up about, it was too hard. It had been easy with Sun, it had come pouring out—her grasp on control slipping in the face of the harsh winds and stinging waves of an ocean of emotion she had no hold on. She could do it—but certainly not right now, she had just opened up to someone. Doing it again would be exhausting, she’d probably just work herself up. 

“Hey.” It’s Ruby, because of course it is, moving to sit next to her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to tell us right this second.” She smiles, kind and understanding, and Weiss discovers that she might have a type. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you, and that whenever you want to open up to us, we’ll listen.” 

“Thank you.” Weiss says softly. “That means… so much.” But it wasn’t necessary—so why…? She couldn’t bring herself to look at Ruby a moment longer, and allowed her eyes to flicker to the folder she was still holding in her hands. An urge to open it up and read Sun’s message expanded like a balloon in her chest.

“Now.” Blake interrupts her inner turmoil. “Is there anything you want to tell us?” Weiss looks up to meet her startling intense gaze—it’s, knowing… understanding. Her amber eyes send a shock of fear down Weiss’ spine. “Anything at all?”

“I—”

“Blake.” Yang chastises, “She’s been by herself for the month, she can’t have much she wants to spill—”

“She hasn’t.” Blake says.

“What?” Ruby frowned.

“She hasn’t been alone.” She explained. “Pyrrha sent me a message when she found you.” Blake explains. “He’s a good person, so I get why you’ve become… involved with him, but we’re your team—” 

“Pardon?” Weiss asked, voice chilly. She crosses her arms against her chest, eyes narrowing dangerously. 

Blake falters, eyes widening in realization. “That’s not how I—”

“I’m sure.” Weiss continued, standing and stuffing her folder back in her bag. 

Blake winced, movements rapid and panicked. “Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.” 

Weiss paused. “Of course.” She gripped her school bag tightly in one hand. She sat back down next to Ruby, but her limbs were stiff and her shoulders were tensed. “For your information, we’re just friends.” She spat the words out like venom. “Last I checked, I was allowed to have those.” (There's a loaded meaning to her words that she can't quite peace together herself.)

Blake looked a tad disbelieving, but nodded, doing her best to placate her. “Right.” 

“I don’t like boys.” Weiss clarified slowly, as though the girl in front of her was a small child. It was the first time she’d said it out loud, she was rather proud of herself.

Blake blinked, looking embarrassed. “Right.”

“Whoa!” Yang breathed, grinning. Weiss had pretty much forgotten she was in the room. “You and I have that in common!” 

“Obviously.” Weiss said simply, rolling her eyes in exasperation. 

“So mean.” Yang squeaked, flushing slightly, though there was still a pleased grin on her face.

“Is that what you were struggling with?” Ruby asked her, there was a look of concern on her face that was absolutely heartwarming. “We’d never judge you, ya know? And we support you, one-hundred percent!”

Weiss paused. That wasn’t it exactly. She’d grudgingly come to terms with her… attraction to the same sex a while ago. But what she had been struggling with was different, the idea that she could care for two people in such a way at the same time was… damning. Not to mention the problems that continued to surface at Winter’s constant busy schedule. (She’d been forced to converse with Whitley and her mother every time she called in hopes of talking to her sister.)

“It wasn’t the problem.” Weiss said, facing away from Ruby. “But thank you for your words anyway.” 

Ruby gripped her hand, “Of course.”

Weiss was beginning to find it harder to look away from her.

5.

“This is stupid.” She grouched, crossing her arms stubbornly as Sun and Neptune led her around the carnival grounds. They had taken it upon themselves to celebrate her team’s victory in the Vytal Festival, stealing her away from her from both team JNPR and RWBY. “I don’t understand why the two of you had to be like that, when talking to them.”

“We’re wingman-ing you.” Sun pointed out, grinning widely at her disgruntled look. “C’mon, Snow Empress, you have to admit—it worked pretty well.”

“No. No it did not.” Neptune sighed softly, looking a tad wistful. “Though it was hilarious.” 

Sun and Neptune had made a big show of pretending to ‘sweep her off her feet’ in front of both Pyrrha and Ruby. The result of their antics were a couple weird looks and Yang laughing out loud when Sun and Neptune attempted to challenge everyone for her ‘hand.’ Pyrrha had laughed it off, politely declining the fight and slipping away to stand near Jaune. Ruby had been surprisingly enthusiastic, on the other hand, and pretended to karate chop the two dunces all the while giggling at the look on Weiss’ face. It was fun until Sun and Neptune shoved them together, causing them to fall into a sprawl of limbs on the floor, Ruby lading on top of her.

Ruby had squeaked, hastily using her semblance to get away and simultaneously kicking and elbowing Weiss in the solar plexus. It was… a very painful experience.

(Weiss was still coughing up rose petals.)

She sighed. “You’re both barbaric.” 

“Thanks!” They shouted in unison, making Weiss cringe. 

“C’mon, let’s get on the ferris wheel.” Neptune said, pulling on Weiss and Sun’s arms. 

They had a surprisingly fun time. 

Weiss would quite normally balk at the idea of spending time with two teenage boys with less sense than her, but despite the (truly alarming) amount of inappropriate humor—she found herself able to get along with them quite well. She was happy to report that confiding with Sun wouldn’t be a one time thing if the friendships between the three of them continued, and jovially spent her time teasing them. They seemed unfazed by the amount of bite in her tongue, either used to it by now or able to see passed the barbs and notice the fond smiles she’d shoot the two of them. (Either way, Weiss was glad to have met them.)

It was after a couple more rides, Neptune throwing up in a trash can after a tree log ride that involved going down a giant water slide, winning herself a large stuffed arctic fox, and eating a truly unhealthy amount of cotton candy, that Weiss saw her. 

“Hey,” Sun began, “Isn’t that Pyrrha?”

Weiss looked up from her blue cotton candy. “Hmm?” She asked, eyes flickering from person to person before settling on—there, long red hair and… casual clothing. She doesn’t think she’s seen Pyrrha in anything but three outfits, her uniform, her pajamas, and her combat clothing. “It is.” She said absentmindedly.

“You should go talk to her.” Neptune pushed her forward gently. “She looks kind of sad.”

“Oh honestly.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “I can’t just go talk to her—what if she’s on a date or something?”

“If she is, it doesn’t look like she’s having a good time.” Neptune pointed out.

Sun frowned, “What do you mean, bro?”

Neptune scratched at his chin. “It’s just… hard to explain.”

Weiss looked at Pyrrha closer, and was startled to discover she could see what he was talking about. “I see it too.” She said softly. “Her face is pointed down, and her posture isn’t as tall as it usually is…” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “And her arms are all crossed low, around her stomach, and—oh Remnant she’s seen me!”

Pyrrha was looking up at her, eyes flickering between her and the two boys beside her. She’d turned away before Weiss could try and wave.

“Fuck.” She swore, ignoring the startled laughter of her companions. “Wukong, give me my stuffed fox, I’m going in.”

Sun obeyed, saluting her as she walked away. (He stole the cotton candy she was holding when, which she pretended not to notice.)

She took a deep breath, she could do this—she could do this—she could do this—!

(She can’t do this, she can’t do this, she can’t do this—!)

“Hey, Pyrrha.” She greeted, doing her best to not sound too awkward.

Pyrrha’s head snapped up, and her eyes widened with surprise when she realized Weiss was standing in front of her. “Oh! Um, hello again!” She seemed unusually flustered, and greeted Weiss with a tiny wave.

Weiss smiled at her, waving the paw of the stuffed fox in greeting. “What are you doing?” She asked curiously, looking around suddenly. “Is your team here with you?” Is Jaune? A bitter voice in the back of her head commented snidely.

“Ah.” Pyrrha deflated a little bit. “I’m afraid not.”

“Oh.” Weiss said. “Are you… here alone?” She wrapped her arms tighter around her arctic fox.

“I—” She looked pained, and Weiss couldn’t bear to look at her for a moment. “Yes.” Pyrrha murmured softly, voice so quiet she had to strain her ears to hear. “I am.”

Weiss looked up at her hesitantly, peeking into Pyrrha’s eyes through her lashes. “Do you… maybe want to join us?” She asked hesitantly.

“I couldn’t impose.” Pyrrha waved her hands awkwardly, “It’s fine, truly.” 

“You could.” Weiss said, then realizing that she’d never join them if she didn’t make it seem like she’d enjoy her company, “I’d really like for you to join me.”

“But.” Pyrrha looked put out. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind? You and Sun are on a date, yes? And I don’t think Neptune would enjoy talking much to me.” I have no desire to be a third wheel. Is what she wasn’t saying. 

Weiss blinked. “What gave you that idea?”

“Well, Neptune and I haven’t really spoken to each other much—”

“Not that.” Weiss wrinkled her nose. “Why do you think Sun and I were on a date?” The idea didn’t please her.

“You…” Her face reddened. “You were in a very compromising position, the other day.”

Weiss frowned. She supposed they had been, hadn’t they? She didn’t like to think about Sun that way, not only did she have no interest in men, but Sun was much more like a big brother… she wondered if he was actually older than her. She planned to ask for his birthday later.

“I um.” Pyrrha looked strange, shifting on her feet, not much of the easy confidence she had before in play. “Do you… want to date him?”

“The thought repulses me.” Weiss said immediately, her voice flat. “He’s far too much of a ruffian for me to even consider the thought.” 

Pyrrha blinked, mouth opening and closing. 

“Was that too rude?” Weiss asked. “Neptune said that Sun and I don’t have the best way with people.” She shifted, internally chastising herself. (Neptune had insisted that the two of them sign up for ‘Sensitivity training’ an idea that made Weiss sneer and hiss at him for two hours… probably proving his point.)

“No, no, no!” Pyrrha interjected, taken aback. “It’s actually—” She laughed a little, “—quite charming, sometimes.” (Her smile made tiny crinkles appear around her eyes, and Weiss felt something akin to warmth begin to boom in her cheeks.)

“Charming?” Weiss asked, her voice a little too high. “Do you really think so?” 

Pyrrha looked as embarrassed as Weiss felt. “Yes.” She said softly. “Very.”

It was silent between them suddenly, the only sounds the laughter and screams of the people enjoying themselves on the rides. Inexplicably, Weiss found herself unable to concentrate on anything other than the girl in front of her, and the warmth that overwhelmed her senses as Pyrrha continued to stare. 

Weiss looked down, flushing hotly. She couldn’t quite continue to look at Pyrrha with her eyes so obviously watching her. She glanced away, back to where she left Sun and Neptune, only to sigh when she found that they were long gone. “It looks like I’m alone now, too.” She gripped the stuffed fox a little tighter and shivered, suddenly aware that she was only wearing a white short-sleeved blouse. “And Sun left with my jacket, wonderful.”

“Oh.” Pyrrha said softly.

“What is it—” Weiss turned to face her, only to be cut off by the other girl taking off her own sweater and draping it over Weiss’ shoulders. She gaped, speechless. 

“Better?” Pyrrha asked.

Weiss nodded wordlessly, unable to string together a coherent sentence. (The ends of the sweater reached Weiss’ knees… was Pyrrha really so tall?) Gathering herself, she pushed out her arms, gesturing for Pyrrha to take the stuffed arctic fox.

“You want me to hold it for you?” She asked.

“Um.” Weiss’ face still burned. “A trade.” She mumbled. “For the sweater.” 

“Ah!” Pyrrha whispered softly, a small flush beginning to make a home in her cheeks. She had freckles. Weiss wondered if Jaune was the only other person who’d seen them. “Don’t you want to keep it?”

“It’s a trade.” She protested. “You’re letting me borrow this.” She lifted her arms, slipping them into the sleeves, she was quite disgruntled to find it was quite oversized.

Pyrrha giggled at the sight. “I may just have to keep this from you then,” She grinned, “Adorable.” 

Weiss couldn’t quite tell if she meant the fox or her. She puffed up in indignation anyway, ignoring the way the other girl continued to laugh because of it. “Well then, maybe I’ll just have to keep this—” She flapped around her sleeves for emphasis. “—hoodie… that is way too big for me… oh my goodness.” She found herself pouting. 

“Haha.” Pyrrha grinned. “Seriously though, it’s your fox isn’t it?” 

Weiss, in a sudden burst of courage, looked up into Pyrrha’s eyes (greengreengreen) and smiled. “Prizes are meant to be given to those who deserve them.” Her eyes twinkled impishly. “Not to mention that Sun told me that stuffed animals are meant to be won for someone.” 

“For me?” Pyrrha asked. She held the stuffed fox closer to her chest. “Thank you.” She whispered genuinely. 

They eventually went back to school, and if Weiss forgot to give back Pyrrha’s hoodie, well, nobody mentioned it. 

Chapter Text

6.

Things proceeded normally after the carnival. (Well as normally as things could continue when going to school with gun happy teenagers and a truly shocking amount of gratuitous violence.) While Weiss had been happy to celebrate her team’s first success in the tournament, the next battle had begun to loom over them all. She was a touch worried, the first fight had been a team effort, and they’d had each other to rely on. It wouldn’t be the same in this case.  

They’d be going against an Atlas team. 

Weiss prayed she knew none of them. Her team seemed to be hyper aware of the increased amount of tension that layered her interactions with everyone, and had planned to strong arm her into relaxing.

That’s why one evening when Ruby cornered her in the library, cheeks puffed up and hands on her hips, Weiss was not surprised.

It was a Saturday night, meaning that team JNPR and team RWBY got together to play board games and mess around. Weiss didn’t usually attend these evenings, joining only every third night or so, but Ruby had insisted she attend. Though her team leader never tended to put her foot down on things that could be considered trivial, she’d denied Weiss’ claims to have work to do. 

“You need to take a breather, partner.” She shot her a pair of finger guns, trying to wink and failing catastrophically.

Weiss, more charmed than she ought to be, reluctantly agreed.

They usually alternated dorm rooms, and it was JNPR’s turn to host the evening. Pyrrha hadn’t meant to show off the fox that Weiss had given her, but the evening was rapidly going down that path.

“It looks like you.” Ruby said to Weiss sagely, easily bumping her out of her thoughts while examining Pyrrha’s new stuffed fox. “All it needs is the scar, and then, bam! Insta-Weiss!” 

“It does not!” Just because she was grateful for the distraction did not stop her from squawking indignantly.  

It had all started when Weiss had walked in the room, glanced around, and froze for a good ten seconds when she realized the fox that she’d given to Pyrrha was sitting on her bed. Yang had noticed her staring and called attention to it, and now everyone wanted to hug the stuffed animal while Weiss and Pyrrha blushed bright red. (Though Weiss was a tad better at keeping her composure, living with her father had one plus, and that was learning how to hide things.) 

“Hold on, hold on—I have an idea.” Ruby said, speeding out of the room and returning with a pack of sticky notes and a permanent marker. She pulled out one, drew a line down it, and then ripped it in two—placing one half on top of left eye and the other at the bottom. “Boom! Insta-Weiss.”

She then swiveled to face Weiss, beaming.

Weiss could only respond by spluttering in protest. 

“Have you named it yet, Pyrrha?” Ruby asked excitedly, facing her and visibly vibrating. 

“Ah!” Pyrrha shook her head sheepishly, glancing at Weiss (who was still claiming she looked nothing like the arctic fox, thank you very much!) “No, I didn’t know if she already had a name or not… so I felt bad about giving her a new one.”

Weiss frowned, momentarily taking pause. “I’m pretty sure you can name her, she didn’t really have anything to be called by.” She considered herself for a moment. “Though Sun just tried calling her ‘Killer Frost’ after one of my failed nicknames.” She rolled her eyes in agitation. “Not one of his best ones.”

“Like ‘Snow Empress’ is any better?” Blake teased. 

“Who told!?”

The room exploded into laughter. 

(In truth, it was more of a subdued giggling, but Pyrrha and Ruby laughed loudly, and Weiss found her gaze drawn to them more than anyone else.)

Blue met silver.

Oh.

A flush surfaced on her team leader’s cheeks.

Ruby was oddly quiet for a moment, before shaking off her funk and grinning widely at Pyrrha. “You know what that means! You could totally get away with calling her Insta-Weiss!” She picked up the stuffed animal, making her voice sound a little deeper than normal. “I’m Weiss, I’m super smart and pretty and I know all these facts about stuff and things—”

“I do not sound like that.” Weiss glared halfheartedly, doing her best to ignore the ‘pretty’ part. 

Blake snorted, jumping up from her position to join the others who were watching Yang beat Jaune at video games, leaving only Weiss, Ruby, and Pyrrha. 

“Pfft, you totally do!” Ruby protested. “Right, Pyrrha?” 

The girl in question raised her hands in surrender, unwilling to comment.

Weiss sneered. “Don’t even think about it, Ruby Rose.” 

Ruby pouted, holding the arctic fox close to her chest and doing her best puppy eyed look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She fiddled with the soft white paws of the stuffed animal, smiling down at it for a moment. “This is super cute though, where’d you get it?”

“It was a gift.” Pyrrha mumbled, blushing a little. 

(Weiss wanted to run away, fast and far, she wanted to leave.)

“Oh?” Ruby grinned teasingly. “Weiss gave it to you, right?” 

“Yes.” Weiss said stiffly. “I did.”

“Cool.” Ruby smiled.

An awkward silence settled over the trio. 

Weiss was just about to make up an excuse to leave, when her scroll began to ring. She blinked a little in surprise, pulling it from her jacket pocket and freezing when she read the caller I.D. “Oh,” She scowled darkly, “Now she decides to call.” 

“Is everything alright?” Pyrrha asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing.” She sighed and rose to her feet, smiling apologetically at Ruby and Pyrrha and walking calmly out of the room. 

“Hello?” She answered lazily, leaning against the wall of the hallway and crossing an arm around her stomach. 

“Weiss.” Winter begins, and Weiss despises the small curl of warmth she feels at the sound of her sister’s voice. “You’ve been talking to… mother.” It isn’t a question, and the words make her feel nauseous.

“There was no one else to speak to.” Weiss bit back, than winced. She shouldn’t be talking to her sister like that. “I… I improvised, besides, who doesn’t want to talk to their mother every so often?” 

“Sarcasm, sister? I didn’t think you had it in you.” Winter snarked back, and Weiss found herself smiling. “Either way, I’m grateful you were attempting to speak to one of us… I’ve been worried about you.”

Weiss sighed audibly, rubbing her forehead and adjusting her scroll. “I’ve been conflicted.” She admitted. “But I sincerely doubt you’d genuinely like to hear any of the issues as a result of my… adolescence.” She scowled.

“Oh?” There was a teasing tone in Winter’s voice. “And just what does that entail, exactly?”

“Nothing particularly important.” She said softly, “To you, anyway.”

Winter went silent. “You could tell me anything, you know…”

Weiss paused, edging away from team JNPR’s door and looking around to make sure the coast was clear. “I may have taken an interest in… a couple of people.” 

First there was no response, and then there were the sound of giggles—subdued and obviously stifled, before they began to grow louder and into a full bellied laugh. 

“Winter, please.” Weiss sighed, voice higher and sharper than before. When her sister made no sign to stop, she rubbed tiredly at her forehead. “That was not how I expected you to respond to that.” In truth, she’d been fearing her response, Winter had… some idea where her affections lay when it came to… gender.

“How would you like me to?” Winter asked, sounding as though she was barely holding in her laughter. “Tell me the reaction you wanted and you shall receive it.” 

“I just want advice on how to… control that aspect of myself.” Weiss admitted reluctantly, fiddling with the ends of her ponytail. “I just… I don’t want it to affect my studies.” And my sanity.

It was silent for a moment, broken only by her sister’s soft sigh. “Control?” Winter asked her gently, there was a tone to her voice that made Weiss tense, it reminded her of when she was younger and Winter used to chastise her for playing games just before a concert. “Sister, you can’t be serious—you can’t simply control a feeling like that, it just isn’t done.” 

Despair plagued her vision, and everything seemed to catch the light differently, shadows swarming her shoulders even though the sun was just beginning to set. Why was Winter telling her this? She needed to control this, needed to regain her grasp on the slippery feelings that had overcome her common sense. Her ears burned, a tell-tale sign that she was about to cry, a reaction that had been easier and easier to succumb to in the past couple of weeks. (She had yet to give in entirely and allow herself to release the tears that so desperately gathered at her eye, and hoped that it remained that way throughout the rest of her time struggling with this.)

“Winter.” Weiss’ voice was surprisingly calm, but her hands shook. “Tell me what to do.” The words tasted like acid on her tongue, but she saw no other option, no other path that might save her from the damning thoughts that swarmed her like bees to a hive. 

“I…” Her sister hesitated, and Weiss felt herself shiver. “I can do one thing for you.” There was a hardness to her voice. “Ironwood is hellbent on visiting Beacon in person… as one of his specialists, he expects me to accompany him and help protect his… troops.” Her sister paused. “Don’t tell anyone, that was classified.

“Of course.” Weiss said, then blinking for a moment before realizing what her sister had said. “Wait, you’re visiting?” All previous thoughts of despair and melancholy washed away in the face of her sister’s bombshell. When she chose to attend Beacon, she’d forced herself to come to terms with the fact that she would most likely not see her sister for at the very least a year—the very most her entire time spent as a student. 

“If you wish it of me, I will attend to Ironwood.” Winter began, “And I will make sure you are kept busy, I have the strangest feeling you’ve been skiving from your summoning.” 

Weiss’ cheeks burned, embarrassed despite the joy she’d begun to feel. “It’s very difficult for me,” She admitted, before adding hastily, “But I have vastly improved with my time dilation glyphs.” 

“Hmph.” Winter scoffed, teasing. “Why does the news not surprise me?”

Weiss shocked them both by laughing. 

The two sisters said their goodbyes, and Weiss walked back into the room with a careful smile on her face. She was… joyous, happy in such a way that she hadn’t felt for a while, but she was careful not to let it show too much. Unfortunately for her, just about everyone seemed to notice. 

“Whoa there, Ice Queen!” Yang teased with a grin, not seeming to mind as Nora used the distraction to viciously begin to destroy her in the game they were playing. “With a smile like that I could only guess that you pushed Cardin Winchester fell down the stairs!”

“Perhaps another time.” Weiss quipped automatically. 

Everyone blinked. 

“Threats of violence aside,” Ren calmly began, “I assume it’s good news?”

Weiss’ smile froze on her face. Winter’s approach was classified, perhaps she could tell them later, but right now it was far too soon. “My sister has finally returned my calls, she’d been busy for quite some time.” Her lips twitched downwards then, sadness softening her face ever so slightly. “It’s been a mission and a half trying to get a hold of her, though I’m happy she’s found a moment to contact me.”

“You have a sister?” Jaune and Ruby asked automatically.

“Rubles, seriously?” Yang asked, shoving Nora away from her controller and pausing the screen. “Weiss talks about her literally all the time.” 

“I do not!” Weiss protested, flushing.

“You’ve only mentioned her a couple of times.” Blake admitted. “But compared to anyone else it’s as though you gush as much as you can.” She smirked, eyeing Weiss with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It’s kind of cute.”

Weiss glared, hyper aware of the hot flush on her cheeks. “Shut up!” She snapped back, furiously glaring down at her feet. “I’ve only talked about her when I was having trouble with my semblance.” 

“You have trouble with your semblance?” Pyrrha asked, leaning her chin on top of the stuffed fox’s head. 

“Certain aspects of it.” Weiss admitted stiffly after a brief pause. She lifted her palm, a glyph appearing. It was strong at first, but the familiar sense of pain as something pulled at her aura appeared. She grunted, and the small light flickered in and out of existence, and to her happiness, the tips of something poked out of the glyph. It was taxing on her aura, but for now she managed to maintain it. “Summoning in particular can be… difficult.” 

“Wow!” Ruby sped up in front of her, peering into Weiss’ palm with wide eyes. “That’s so cool—how do you do it? What kind of things can you summon? Can you change the size of everything—?”

Weiss blinked, recoiling a little as Ruby continued to fire off question after question. Surely she’d mentioned her summoning before? Apparently most of her friends seemed to ask themselves that question too. Either way, she attempted to answer Ruby’s questions to the best of her ability.

Not everyone seemed interested in her explanation, and she found herself talking to only Pyrrha and Ruby. 

“It’s a hereditary semblance.” Weiss explained softly, hesitant to broadcast her power to everyone in the room. “The Schnee family has always been able to summon shades of past enemies they’ve defeated.” She smiled a little. “My grandfather had the best control over it, he used to be able to not only summon Grimm, but some predators, like bears, or…” She paused, thinking of Arma Gigas for a moment. “He isn’t the only one, Winter is quite adept—she can summon multiple shades at a time.” A slightly bitter smile, “She’s one of the reasons I excelled at fighting Grimm despite often being confined to the manor.” 

“Confined?” Ruby frowned.

Weiss didn’t let her gentle smile drop, though something cold began to curl in her stomach. She hummed, not necessarily answering, and once again tried to summon a tiny Arma Gigas. 

Pyrrha set a gentle hand on her shoulder.

This time, Weiss managed to get something to poke out from the glyph, and she let out a sound of triumph. A small sword was peeking out from the weakened glyph.

“Did you really fight this tiny thing?” Pyrrha asked with a laugh.

“The real one was much larger.” She stated absentmindedly, furrowing her brow as she attempted again, this time reaching to the knight’s wrist. Weiss grinned, now Winter couldn’t be too harsh on her when she asked to see how much she had succeeded in summoning. 

“Where exactly did you fight a giant sword, and what was it attached to?” Ruby asked with a laugh, though there was a small amount of something in her voice that Weiss couldn’t identify.

Weiss shrugged, blinking the glyph out of existence. “It’s… a long story.” Her left eye felt sharp with pain suddenly, and her hands twitched upward, though she managed to control the urge to rub her scar. 

Pyrrha seemed to notice her turmoil, and her eyes widened a little. “Is that how…?”

“It’s a long story.” Weiss said again, frowning and crossing her arms.

“We… we have time.” Ruby whispered softly, making Weiss inadvertently begin to look up into her eyes. 

Her shoulders shook slightly. “N-not here.” She managed out, cringing when she stumbled over her words. “Not now.” She finished as smoothly as she could.

“Okay.” Ruby said, gripping her hand. “Whenever you need to talk—”

“—We’ll be here.” Pyrrha finished, grabbing her other hand.

Weiss could barely stop the tears from beginning to flow.

7.

She managed to keep herself busy by preparing for Winter’s arrival, and once again found herself shrouded in Neptune Vasilias and Sun Wukong’s company. Their team seemed to accept her without much fuss. They were kind to her... well, as kind as two other teenage boys could be without forsaking their ‘cool’ image. 

She was with them when her sister arrived. It was a brisk Monday morning, and Weiss couldn’t wait to introduce Winter to everybody. (Of course, that was only if she wanted to be introduced to everybody, she hoped she wouldn’t judge Sun and Blake too harshly for their heritage… but her sister wasn’t like her father, so she didn’t have to worry… Did she have to worry?)

“Wow, Snow Empress, you’re vibrating.” Sun grinned at her over breakfast, he (along with his team) had long since began to join her in the mess hall for meals. 

“My sister gets here in an hour.” She fretted, “I don’t know what to do? Will she like it here? Will she be unimpressed with my studies?”

Scarlet snorted. “Honestly, love, take a breather.”

“You take a breather!” Weiss shot back, fuming.

Scarlet held his hands up in defense as the table burst into laughter. 

“He has a point, though, Snow Angel.” Neptune pointed out with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows. “You need a little stress relief.”

“I will break your face.” Weiss threatened, “Don’t think I won’t.”

“I’d help.” Sage grunted, taking a moment out of eating his eggs to glare at Neptune. “I haven’t forgiven you.”

“It was an accident, man! I didn’t know you wanted it to be a secret!” He whined.

“Told you that you shouldn’t have told him, Sage.” Sun said mock sympathetically. 

“Oh honestly.” Scarlet laughed, flipping his hair to the side and shooting them all a fake smolder. “I’ll protect you Neptune, Remnant knows your face is your only redeeming asset.”

“Thanks.” Neptune smiled, before pausing for a moment. “Hey!”

“Seriously though, Snow Empress.” Sun began, leaning his chin on her shoulder while he bit into an apple. “From what you told me about your sister there’s no way she wouldn’t be proud of you.”

She grumbled a little, leaning a little bit into him. “Whatever.”

“All the heteros thinking you two are shagging is starting to make a bit more sense.” Scarlet drawled, smiling when Weiss scowled. 

“What happened to solidarity?” She grouched.

“Revoked when you threatened to break Neptune’s pretty face.” Scarlet sighed. “How would the masses survive?”

Weiss’ lips twitched upwards.

“Some of your tiny team members are coming.” Sage mumbled. He returned to his food, inhaling everything with vigor. 

“Everyone’s small to you, Sage.” Sun told him with a laugh, twisting his chin a little to see where her team was. “Ah, here they come…! Along with Jaune.”

Weiss pouted a little, she noticed that Ruby was nowhere to be found. 

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll seduce Jaune for you.” Scarlet said, leering a little. “Tall, blonde, and scraggly is in this season.”

That made her smile. “I think you’d get along well with Coco Adel.” She sighed absentmindedly, “I can introduce the two of you.”

“Dunno about all that rot, love.” Scarlet began just as her friends came in hearing range. “Sure you don’t want to keep her all to yourself? Heard she could break hearts with a single glance.”

“You’ll have that in common, then.” Weiss shot back sarcastically, snickering. 

“Ooh, who are we talking about?” Yang asked, sliding into a seat beside Sun (who she high-fived.)

“Coco.” Weiss grinned. “She and Scarlet have a lot in common.” 

“Yeah?” Yang asked, turning to Scarlet curiously.

“Mhmm.” Sun agreed, a bit of apple juice dripping from his face and onto Weiss.

“Wukong!” She groaned in exasperation, “Keep your stupid face to yourself.” She shoved at his mouth with a napkin. 

He pouted, “That was mean, Snow Empress.” Sun gave her puppy dog eyes. “I’m genuinely hurt, right guys?” He turned to his team.

“Most definitely.” Neptune nodded solemnly, “This slight against him must be rectified.”

Sage just grunted in agreement while Scarlet rolled his eyes and turned to Jaune, who had sat down next to him. Weiss snorted when she noticed Scarlet actually begin to flirt with him.

“What do you want, banana brain?” She flicked him between the eyes. “I can buy you an actual shirt, if you like.”

“Boo!” Sun exclaimed childishly. “Just do me one favor.” His eyes glinted mischievously. “Take a deep breath and stop thinking about your sister for five minutes.”

Weiss shoved at his shoulder when he began to laugh. “I’m worried!” She protested, pursing her lips.

“I know, bro.” Sun began, wrapping an arm around her. “But Winter sounds pretty chill—” Weiss scowled at the pun, “—and she cares about you a lot, remember? You told me she’d always be at your concerts, and for your birthday she’d always get you something cool, and—”

“Fine.” She grouched, sighing into the palm of her hand. “You’re right anyway. It wouldn’t do to freak out just before she got here.”

“Wow, Sun.” Blake hummed, looking up from her book. “You managed to calm her down pretty quick.” 

“Not really.” Neptune interjected with a snort. “She’s been fretting all morning, she even actually woke up early for once.” 

“I will break your face—”

“You said that.” Neptune grinned. “But I don’t think you could ever begin to part with my one redeeming asset.”

Weiss stared at him, expression flat.

He shrugged in response, easily popping a piece of toast into his mouth. “I’ve decided to embrace it.”

“Wonderful.” She scowled, turning back to Sun. “Now he’s going to be even more of an insufferable halfwit.”

“Not like you’re any better.” Neptune teased. “A pretty face to hide the fact you despise socializing, am I right?”

Her cheeks flushed hotly. “Die.” She hissed out, accidentally slipping into a language nobody but her understood.

“Well you are pretty.” Sun added, ignoring her brief lapse into German and stealing a piece of bacon from her plate.

“True.” Sage agreed with his team leader, taking a moment away from his breakfast to examine her. “And you don’t like talking to people you don’t know.”

She glared back at Sage, who only shrugged and returned to his food. “I’m not…” Weiss frowned. Was she really about to protest them? She… was pretty, she supposed, but that had been before her scar right? Sure, she knew she was relatively good looking, but for some reason it surprised her that Sun and his teammates were picking up on it. She didn’t know whether or not to feel touched. 

“Pretty face?” Neptune asked. 

“Pretty face.” All of team SSSN chorused, even Scarlet, who she thought hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation.

Weiss groaned, covering her face with the palm of her hand. The clattering of two lunch trays interrupted them, and she found herself peeking through the spaces of her fingers only to have two brightly smiling faces meet her eyes. 

It hurts.

“They’re right, you know.” Pyrrha added cheerily, Neptune and Scarlet had scrambled to make room for her, making it so that she sat in front of Weiss. 

“Yup!” Ruby agreed from beside her, popping the ‘p’ and grinning.

Weiss and Sun blinked, exchanging a look. 

They weren’t quite close enough to communicate via prolonged eye contact, but they did manage to shoot each other matching dubious expressions. They were at least on the same wavelength that Sun had seen fit to distract her for the rest of the time she spent in the mess hall. (While the… methods he incorporated to take her mind off things were strange, the sentiment did not go unappreciated.)

Her scroll vibrated. She pulled it out of her coat pocket quickly, accidentally elbowing Sun in the ribs as she hastened to open up the device. “Winter’s here!”

“It’s fall.” Yang quipped.

“Want someone to come with you?” Sun asked, looking a tad worried. 

“I—” She began, only to be cut off by the calculating look in his eyes.

“Might be a good moment to… you know.” He whispered, making sure only she could hear him.

“I suppose.” She mumbled back, before turning back to the table. “Does anyone wish to accompany me?” Weiss needed to be subtle… that didn’t stop the happy little smile from growing on her face. 

“Pick me!” Ruby jumped up and down in her seat excitedly, tugging at Pyrrha’s arm with one hand while she waved the other one in the air. She turned to beam at the girl next to her. “You wanna come too, Pyrrha? I’ve never seen Weiss this excited before, it’s bound to be awesome!”

It really won’t be. Weiss thought darkly.

Yang snorted into her breakfast. “As if that’s the only reason you want to go.”

Blake, without looking up from her book, tossed a piece of bread at her partner. 

Weiss stood to her feet, tilting her head curiously at Pyrrha and Ruby. “You both could come if you like.” She was already itching to run out of the mess hall and greet her sister. 

“Really?” Pyrrha asked, looking a tad put out. “Um.” She cringed looking at Jaune for guidance, who only shot her a supportive thumbs up. “Are you sure you want me to come?” She blushed. “I mean, it seems pretty important to you, so I’m not sure that… you’d want me there.”

Weiss clasped her hands behind her back, trying to hide her fidgeting. “It’s fine if you don’t want to.” 

“No! No, that’s... that’s not what I meant.” Pyrrha raised her voice, waving her palms a little frantically. “I just don’t want you to be forced into letting me come with you, is all.” 

Weiss paused, frowning for a moment. “Forced?” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I think she’d... like to meet you.” She trailed off, shaking away her embarrassment when she realized the second half of her sentence she’d slipped into German. If Pyrrha didn’t want to come she wouldn’t force her. “Nevermind then,” She smiled to reassure her, “I’ll just go with Ruby, is she still wants to.”

“I do.” Ruby agreed enthusiastically, pouting a little when she turned to face Pyrrha. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” 

The taller girl hesitated. “I suppose, but only if Weiss is okay with it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Weiss smiled softly. “Your company is invaluable.” 

Sun elbowed her side, coughing unsubtly and shooting her a wink. “Go get her, Snow Empress, you’ve been excited all morning.”

Weiss flushed, turning away from them. How positively mortifying. She’d allowed her thoughts to slip away from her mind, thank goodness Sun had been there to remind her of her place. 

The three quickly left the mess hall to meet Winter, all the while Weiss jittered around excitedly. 

“Wow, Sun wasn’t kidding.” Ruby snickered, “You really are excited for this.” She tilted her head a little in confusion. “Who are we meeting, anyway?

Weiss could barely muster up the energy to shoot her a glare. “Oh quiet you, now hurry up, she’ll kill me if I’m late.”

She rushed off, hurrying to the front of the school. Distantly, she was aware of both of her companions letting out various sounds of surprise as she suddenly bolted forward, but gave it no real thought. The airship had arrived. 

Someone with distinct white hair strode forward, and Weiss felt herself halt. “Winter.” She said softly, the left side of her mouth twitching upwards into a lopsided grin. 

She felt two lingering presences to her sides. 

“That’s your…” Pyrrha trailed off.

“Sister.” Ruby finished, looking astounded.

“Winter!” Weiss exclaimed, excitement thrumming throughout her entire body. Her sister was here, her sister was here for her—to help her. She rushed forward, barely registering Pyrrha and Ruby following. “Winter, I’m so happy to see you!” 

Her sister had her shoulders high and straight, wrapped in an Atlas military uniform that she’d customized all on her own. Despite the fact that Winter was a stickler for the rules, she’d enjoyed choosing the less… traditional clothing. (The Schnee family could be a little vain, sometimes, her sister was no exception.) Winter raised a single dark eyebrow, crossing her arms behind her back and tilting her head, a bit of white hair curling near her ear.

Weiss blinked for a moment, she’d forgotten herself. Already she could see the few non-robot Atlas guards eyeing her. “Oh,” She did a tiny curtsy, “Your presence honors us.”

“Beacon.” Winter’s face was impassive. “It’s been a long time.” She cringed, walking forward a little, her heeled steps click-clacking on the stone beneath her. Winter Schnee was like a snowy mountain, cool and tall—making it impossible to be anything but beneath her. “The air feels… different.”

Weiss nodded in agreement. It was hard getting used to the abundance of oxygen that surrounded them, Atlas was so high up—the air so thin. “It does take some getting used to…” She trailed off wincing. “My lungs had to take some time to get used to everything.”

“And I mean it is fall… so.” Ruby trailed off. “It’s uh… probably colder.”

Weiss looked at her and then, rolling her eyes, and promptly punched her on the shoulder. Winter raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched Pyrrha hastily try and make sure Ruby was alright. 

“So…” Weiss began, “How did your previous mission fare?” 

“Classified.” Winter said shortly, craning her neck to watch the people around them walk by.

“Oh.” Weiss cringed, bowing her head a little in submission and gripping at her wrist. “Right, well, how long are you staying?” She looked up hopefully.

“Classified.” Winter narrowed her eyes, voice coming out a bit more forcefully.

Weiss had almost forgotten how Schnee’s were supposed to act in public. “Of course.” She nodded her head, bitterness not being enough to stop the small smile on her lips. 

Ruby leaned against Pyrrha for a moment, before taking a step away, putting her hands behind her back awkwardly as she leaned from one foot to the other. “Well, this is nice.” She began, looking up at Winter with a frown. “I think.”

“Yes.” Pyrrha agreed, though there was something closed off about her expression. 

Weiss couldn’t control her burst of enthusiasm (or her rapid hand movements.) “Oh you’re going to love it here!” She exclaimed. “I know you travel a lot, but so much about Beacon is different from Atlas—” people here actually laugh, “—Vale too! The government and the school are completely separate, can you believe it? I—”   

“I’m more than familiar with how this kingdom handles it’s bureaucracy.” She rolled her eyes, looking down at Weiss once more, and again—it was like looking up to the peak of a mountain. She raised an eyebrow, jutting her chin to the side. “That is not why I came.” 

“Right.” Weiss winced. “I’m sorry.” She cringed, recoiling on herself. “I’m sorry… father must be—” 

“Nor did I come her to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle.” Winter interrupted her. “But it appears I have no choice in the matter.” She lifted her chin, a small spark of something unreadable in her eyes.

“But—we won.” Weiss protested, wincing at the sharp look she received.

Winter shook her head, raising a brow. “Only a novice would refer to that as a victory.” Weiss tensed. “I counted at least three strikes missed.” It was silent for a moment. She raised her hand, dismissively gesturing to the robot guards behind her. “Leave us.”

They obeyed.

Winter sighed, before allowing a gentle smile to play on her lips. “How have you been?”

Weiss shot up, “Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking.” She frantically thought of something to tell her. “I’m actually in the very top ranking in are sparring class, the rest of my studies are going wonderfully too—” Because she’s still frantically avoiding anything else.

Winter cut her off with a cuff to the head. “Silence you boob!” Weiss winced, her hand going to her now slightly aching head. “I don’t recall asking about your ranking, I’ve asked how you’ve been.” Winter shook her head in amusement. “Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?”

“I’ve…” She flinched, she’d normally just answer her sister’s questions and be done with it, but she was far too tired to wade through the muddy pools of social expectation. “Things are different here.” She settled on.

“So you’ve told me.” Winter looked away for a moment.

Ruby snorted, taking the moment to gently brush at the place where Winter had smacked her fondly. “Boob.”

Winter turned back, raising an eyebrow when she noticed Ruby’s closeness. The arch of her brows was stern and elegant, and Weiss found herself realizing she’d forgotten how much Winter seemed to enjoy positioning her face in such a way when talking to her. 

“These ones?” Winter asked in German, looking far too exasperated to be worried about her less than tactful slip into another language.

Weiss could only nod sheepishly.

“I see.” Winter drawled, eyeing the trio, before settling on Ruby. “So this is the leader you wrote of, how appropriately… underwhelming.” 

Weiss, for the first time in a while, scowled at Winter fiercely. “Sister.” She hissed darkly.

Winter noticeably paused, surprised.

Ruby, oblivious as ever, smiled hesitantly. “Ah, thank you?”

“Greetings Ruby Rose, I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister.” Winter said, shoulders high and chin lifted. She drew her eyes away from Weiss, dragging them to the side to examine her leader a little more closely. Her voice had gone soft and slow, though Weiss could hear the underline suspicion and protectiveness that seeped from her mouth—wrapping around her tongue and baring her teeth with words of faux politeness.

She was treating Ruby like she was one of those seedy rich boys from Atlas who’d often approached Weiss and had... wanted her.

“Oh… uh.” Ruby flailed. “Yes! Of course! The honor is in my… court.” She saluted, smiling sheepishly, and leaning forward so much she almost fell over.

“And Pyrrha Nikos.” Winter’s gaze narrowed as she continued. “Of course she had to pick Pyrrha Nikos.” She murmured in German and rolled her eyes, as if Weiss being a bit more fond of Pyrrha than she was supposed to was to be considered a personal slight against her. “I believe we’ve met before.”

“Hello again!” Pyrrha smiled jovially. “It’s nice to see you.” She sounded genuine. Weiss barely stopped herself from doing a double take, but Ruby didn’t even try—just blinked and looked between the two with eyes as wide as saucers. “Atlas was one of the schools that attempted to recruit me, Specialist Schnee was one of the many to approach me.”

“Yes.” Winter sniffed, frowning. “Regardless of your choice in schooling, it is not a chore to be in your company again... You are friends with Weiss, yes? She’s written much about you.” Her frown deepened as she looked back at Ruby. “The two of you, as a matter of fact.”

“Sister.” Weiss hissed, flushing. “Stop.”

“I have to tease you in some matter.” Winter mumbled in German with a smirk, switching to English. “What else is there? It’s no fun when the subject is fighting anymore, you get so sad—it makes things less humorous.”  

“I’m glad my suffering pleases you.” Weiss sneered back automatically, before blinking, and allowing her expression to melt into something far more appropriate. 

Winter rolled her eyes. “I have business with the General and your headmaster… But, seeing as I’m early—” She smiled, clasping her hands together indulgently. “—why don’t you take me to your quarters?” 

“Really?” Weiss asked, excitement bleeding back into her voice.

“Yes.” Winter walked forward, armed robots following from a distance. “I wish to inspect them and make sure they are up to my personal standards.” 

“Of course.” Weiss said hastily. Then, wincing, “Just so you’re aware, the bunk beds only look unstable.”

“Bunk... beds?” Winter questioned.

Weiss nodded frantically, unable to look back at where both Pyrrha and Ruby stood. My sister is here, she thought grimly, Winter is going to help me get over it, and then all will be okay.

A bitter voice in the back of her head told her to stop lying to herself. 

8.

Team FNKI threw Weiss for the biggest loop of the century. Her body ached just thinking about them, not only were they nothing like what she expected, but their leader—Flynt Coal. 

He had been… so angry.

It made an uncomfortable throbbing take hold of her entire being, gripping at her soul and shaking her until all that remained was the small slivers that had not been polluted. (The small parts of her that represented sadness… and hope.) 

She'd tried to distract herself from her problems, Flynt Coal, her affection for Ruby and Pyrrha—but the more she bottled it up the worse she felt. She could only hope that Winter had been wrong about controlling her feelings. Still, some of the advice Winter had given her had struck a particularly strong cord within herself—and it made Weiss more wary of the things and people around her than she had been before.

Emotions gave her strength, but she couldn't let them control her.

If this was the cost of things, she wasn't so sure she wanted to be strong.

“So…” Ruby began, interrupting her silent brooding. “Your sister.”

Weiss tensed up immediately, setting down her pen. She hadn't been writing anything down for a good minute or two, something that her partner had clearly noticed. “What about her?”

“She’s… a person.” Ruby tried.

“You’ll find most people are.” She rolled her eyes barely fighting the urge to snap back something rude. (Well, ruder.) The two were sitting in the library, going over an essay for Professor Port about the various weaknesses for larger class Grimm and the advantages they had over hunters and huntresses. They’d been at it for a little under an hour, and while Weiss would like nothing more than to talk about Winter while they were supposed to be studying (note the sarcasm), she’d much rather get her work done. 

“She… she’s different than I expected her to be.” She looks down at her book, leaning to the side, away from Weiss.

“I’ll tell her you said that.” She snorted, leaning on the palm of her hand and watching Ruby from the corner of her eye. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“How old is she, again?” Ruby deflected.

Weiss decided to humor her. “She’s twenty-three.”

“Five years older than you?” 

“About.” She rolled her eyes, sighing and setting down her paper to face her partner fully. “Is there a point to this baseless questioning?”

Ruby laughed sheepishly, rubbing at the back of her head. “Well…” She drew out the word. “I’m just kinda curious about your family, is all.”

“I’m sure you can simply find answers on the internet, if you’re eager to know more.” Weiss pursed her lips. “But for now there is work to be done.”

“Psh, I’m not gonna look it up.” Ruby waved her arm in dismissal. “I wanna find out these things because you want me to find out about them… looking it up just seems like cheating.”

“Cheating…?” Weiss screwed up her eyes, nose wrinkling. “Er—right.”

“Sooo… do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Do you want me to know these things?” Ruby asked, her tone was hard to make sense of. 

Was this a test? Was Weiss supposed to answer a certain way, or not answer at all? Could she get out of this, or was this inevitable, like a star crashing to the earth type of inescapable? She couldn’t be sure about anything when it came to Ruby Rose, but she did her best to conform to her ideals anyway.

“I… I wouldn’t be opposed.” Weiss nodded thoughtfully, “If you truly wish to learn about my family, you may have all the information you wish.”

“Cool!” Ruby snapped her book closed, drawing her knees to her chest and turning to face Weiss excitedly. 

“Um. Right now?” She asked.

“Yeah!” Her partner grinned, silvery eyes sparkling. “It’ll be cool, we could take a break… and uh, you can tell me all about your family.”

Weiss blinked. She closed her textbook slowly, a small frown on her face as she turned to face Ruby. “I suppose…” She idly tapped her fingers against the smooth wooden surface of the library table. She noticed this was the one that she and Sun had talked together on, laying with their knees brushed against each other. 

If she could talk to him, she could talk to Ruby. “What do you want to know?”

Ruby looked caught off guard, like she didn’t expect Weiss to agree. “Umm…”

Weiss laughed a little in disbelief. “What’s with that face?” She teased. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to know things about me?”

“It isn’t that.” Ruby protested. “It’s just—” She pouted. “Okay maybe I didn’t think you’d agree, you’ve been kind of distant since we took down Roman Torchwick… I’ve been worried.” 

Ah. Weiss winced. It was soon after the criminal’s capture that she had learned that her feelings for Ruby and Pyrrha… weren’t what they were supposed to be. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

“It isn’t something you have to apologize for.” Ruby whispered quietly. “I haven’t been pressing because I know that you have Sun and Neptune to talk to, but still…” Ruby took a deep shuddering breath, looking down and away from Weiss’ gaze. “I just, well I just wish there was a way I can help you.” She pressed a hand to her chest, wincing.

Weiss froze in place, her mouth moving without her realizing it. “You do help me, so much—” She choked on the desire to cry, pausing to stop the tears that threatened to fall. Long fingers tightened around the handsome wooden table they sat at, blood rushing out of the knuckles as the pale tips of her appendages went impossibly paler. “Truly.” Weiss whispered. “You’ve done more for me than you could ever possibly know.”

“I doubt that.” Ruby chewed on her lower lip for a moment, the spaces under her eyes wrinkling as she furrowed her brows. “We don’t really talk… that much… Not enough to make you feel better about stuff I mean.” She suddenly looked very put out. “We’ve… we’ve been drifting apart, haven’t we?”

Weiss blinked. “No. No, we haven’t.”

The way that Ruby had said it left her reeling, the words had spilled from her mouth on accident almost, and the way she had said those things—like what she was describing was one of the biggest travesties on the planet. It took her by surprise, gripping her by the ears and shaking her head, making her look—really look—at what she had been doing to her partner by avoiding these things. 

“How about I tell you a story?” Weiss tried, and then clarified, “About my childhood.”

“What?”

She sighed. “I don’t really have one particularly in mind… but I can tell you about my father, why I fear him—or my mother, why I love her… perhaps even of Winter, or Whitley—Klein?” She frowned. “I don’t know where I’m going with this… but I just think that, well—” Weiss huffed, rubbing at her forehead. “—I want you to know that I trust you, because I do… trust you I mean, really trust you… sometimes it’s as though my faith in you is unshakable, and that’s just—well it’s just a little scary sometimes.” 

“What are you trying to say?” There was an emotion gripping at Ruby’s throat, making it so her voice shook, but Weiss—no matter how much she wanted to—could not decipher it.   

“I just wanted you to know,” Weiss said weakly, a tad frustrated, “that I trust you, inexplicably and… almost unconditionally.”

Ruby laughed a little, her watery chuckle causing dread to weigh down her chest, a pain compact and so heavy she feared she may topple over. “And where does your offer of childhood stories fit into that?”

“I want you to know… things.” Weiss murmured softly, looking at Ruby’s shoulders, where her cape rests. She can’t quite bring herself to actually see her face, content with the sight of her jawline and the gentle curve of her chin. 

“Things?”

“Yes, things!” Weiss snapped back, flushing up to her ears. “The nice things and the bad things and the altogether trivial, things!” She was lashing out, a testament to how out of control she felt about her situation. 

“Well what does that even mean?” Ruby retorted. “Stop being so—ugh!”  

“Are you joking?” Weiss huffed, eyebrows shooting upward. 

“No! As a matter of fact, I am not joking.” She let out a frustrated breath. “I know that you need time or that I’m not good enough or whatever—but for the love of all of Remnant, you need to be able to confide in me even a little bit as a team leader—I want to be a huntress Weiss, even if you don’t.”  

“And what.” She spoke through gritted teeth. “Is that supposed to mean?”

Weiss wasn’t looking at Ruby, so she couldn’t see the instant regret that passed over her features, and then a hardness that resembled resolve. “I know, okay? I know that Beacon is just a stepping stone for you, and I get that—I get that you need this, but this is important to me, Weiss.” A tired sigh, “And I really don’t want to have to analyze every conversation we have in hopes of finding a way to get my partner back, especially since no one can make any kind of sense of what you’ve been doing lately—” 

“Stop.” 

Something was different.

(It was Weiss.)

She was completely calm.

She was entirely unafraid.

She’d retreated into a shell, now—a grand castle with walls as high as the clouds, the tips of their icy stone brushing up against the apparent softness and disrupting the sky in their wake. Was she trapped? She could not say.

She wasn't herself, now. Only the 'spare'. Only the second child born to a throne the first had thrown away.

(And then, she was seething.)

Ruby was silent, surprised or angry Weiss didn’t know, because she still couldn’t find it in herself to look up and meet her gaze. Looking at Ruby, for once it seemed, didn’t matter. Nothing did, only moving forward—she could not make space in her mind for anything else.

“Listen closely.” Had her voice always been this cold? “And listen well. I care about this just as much as you do, I care about preserving the team dynamic, and improving it—I care.” 

It was quiet, now.

“I’m sorry.” Ruby broke the silence first. She sounded genuinely remorseful. “I didn’t mean to say that you didn’t care, I know you do, it’s just…” She sighed. “I was afraid of losing you, you know? I… I lost my head a little bit and blew up.”

“I know.” Weiss took a deep breath through her nose. “I’m… You aren’t the only one at fault, here.” She tried to shake of the coldness that had began to wriggle its way inside of her, tried to get rid of the onslaught of frost that seemed to coat her every move—but she couldn’t. Not then, not without looking at Ruby—looking her in the eye and seeing that every word that she was saying was genuine, seeing the worry and the fondness in her face. 

When had this gotten so hard?

She rubbed at her eyes, trying to regain a sense of warmth in her face. No such luck. Her features still felt stiff and frozen.

“Weiss.” Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright? I didn’t make you cry, did I?” She sounded sad. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“I’m not crying.” Weiss laughed softly, though it came out choked. “Really.” She wasn’t. At least, she thought she wasn’t. 

“Why were you avoiding me?” Ruby asked. “Why were you avoiding Pyrrha?”

Weiss didn’t know what to say. “What do you mean?” She asked softly.

“Pyrrha and I… we talk a lot—” Ruby sounded flustered suddenly, as if caught off guard by something Weiss didn’t know. “—and we both noticed that… well that you didn’t… really look at us as much as you did before.”

“Look…?” Weiss murmured. Ruby was right, of course, she tended to look away when faced with the two of them… she’d thought she’d been doing so covertly, but apparently she was wrong.  

“Yeah.” Ruby said. “Like right now, you haven’t—you aren’t even facing me.”

Weiss wanted to scream a little.

(Forgive her for the slight fib, in truth she wanted to scream a lot.)

She turned and looked at Ruby, opening her mouth to apologize, but not being able to quite find the words. “I’m going to visit Sun and Neptune—” Weiss stopped herself. That wasn’t a good idea, not with the argument she and Ruby had just had. “—actually, perhaps I will return to the dorms.” She was tired, and she knew she wasn’t going to get any more work done today.

“Do… Do you want me to come with you?” Ruby asked.

Weiss paused. “If you like, I would not mind the company.” She began to pack up her things.

Everything felt… robotic. She was talking in stilted sentences, no passion, no drive, no anger—just… nothing. 

“Are you sure? I mean… didn’t you want to go talk to Sun and Neptune?” There was no bitterness in her tone, only worry.

“They shall survive an evening without me… mostly intact, at least.” She steadied her school bag. “I was just going to go and give Sun some of his weekly affection quota.” She began to move out of the library.

Ruby followed her, stumbling. Weiss paused, waiting for her to catch up on steady feet, but did not turn to make sure if she was alright (which was something she always tended to do when Ruby tripped over something, which happened surprisingly often, considering how adept she was at combat.)

“His what?”

“‘Weekly affection quota.’” Weiss used air quotes. “He gets rather despondent, without someone to hold onto for a while, I suppose I’ll just leave it to Neptune—I know he wouldn’t mind, but still.” She frowned. “I’d been… craving a bit of…” A hug, she wanted a hug. “Nevermind.”

“You… you’re okay with him… touching you?” Ruby sounded slightly aghast, her voice was subdued. (She was probably a degree quieter because of the argument they had just had.)

“To an extent.” Weiss added. “He… gets sad, and I..." She flexed her fingers, "I don’t like that—so I hold his hand every once in a while, or let him sit close enough that he feels better—the most he’s ever been allowed to do was put an arm around my shoulders.” She wrinkled her nose. “He gets quite messy when I let him do that—because I’m usually busy—so he eats… I carry wet wipes in my bag now.”

“That’s… wholesome.” Ruby tried.

“Yes.” Weiss nodded her head slightly. Her palms itched. Perhaps the ‘weekly affection quota’ wasn’t just for Sun’s benefit.

A hand gripped hers suddenly.

Weiss slowed her steps, and turned to look Ruby in the eye.

“Is this okay?”

She considered herself, pausing. Ruby must have noticed how antsy Weiss was becoming, they had always been on a similar wavelength. Too tired to pretend it was less than it was, Weiss found a smile, and averted her gaze. 

“Yes.”

“I don’t like it when we argue with each other.” Ruby spoke softly, “I don’t like it when we’re apart.”

“I’m sorry.” Weiss said back, apologizing for more than Ruby would ever know.

They walked back to their dorm holding hands, and if anybody noticed—they certainly didn’t say anything about it. 

Chapter Text

9.

The thing about Weiss Schnee as a person, is that she’s very… volatile. Not that it’s an entirely terrible thing, her moods simply… vary when it comes to the things and the people and places around her. She will freely admit that she probably has some maturing to do in the whole ‘control your temper’ and the ‘learn to process your feelings like a healthy adult’ departments. The thing is, she was always very volatile, it just wasn’t very apparent in the presence of her father or family. (But mostly her father.)

Music, her concerts, were the one outlet she had for getting all those icky emotions and… feelings out of her system. That, of course, was before she started training to become a huntress. Still, there was nothing quite like belting out lyrics that subtly told the audience how shitty a person her father was. Though she was popular when it came to her performances, she never really expected for much of anything to come out of it that benefited her other than the release of her more negative emotions.

Which of course, is why it’s such a surprise to find the Pyrrha seems determined to ask her opinions on subjects that involve music.

She doesn’t quite know what to make of it at first, the constant stream of ‘what do you think of this?’ and ‘why do you think they sung it like that?’ It’s rather maddening, seeing someone she cares about so invested in her opinion on something, Weiss can’t really figure it out. And, she finds that she can’t quite bring herself to. It’s a subject that Pyrrha actually uses to talk to her about, why would she want to risk that?

It gets stranger and stranger though, Pyrrha seeking Weiss throughout the day just to ask for a couple minutes of her time to convince her to listen to a song and ask her whether or not she liked it. 

“Do you... have a particular fondness for music?” Weiss asked her one time after she’d given another opinion, twitching slightly, and doing her best not to seem overly enthusiastic. It wouldn’t do for her to show how delighted she is to have Pyrrha talking to her. “You ask me to listen to a lot of it.”

“Ah!” Pyrrha had blushed, scratching at her cheek and avoiding eye contact. “To be honest, I’ve just gotten into avidly listening to it.” She admitted, smiling almost absentmindedly as collects her runaway thoughts. “I… I think that it’s become enjoyable for me, listening to it.”

“Alright.” Weiss nodded, trying not to frown. It was clear that it was a subject that her friend hadn’t felt comfortable answering. She hoped that she hadn’t had to force out an answer just to placate Weiss. “Well, I’m glad you’ve found yourself fond of it.” And then she smiled up at Pyrrha, a real one—because she can’t quite keep them to herself these days. 

“Me too.” Pyrrha smiled back, her shoulders relaxing.

Weiss had quickly changed the subject, deciding that it couldn’t be too bad to actually continue a conversation with the other girl this time. All the other times Weiss had been approached by Pyrrha with a new song, she’d been forced to hastily retreat. (Because sometimes she was actually quite busy and also because she was very much attracted to Pyrrha Nikos and that lingering sentiment was sincerely beginning to turn into something much more dangerous than before.)

She hadn’t exactly been avoiding Pyrrha, she’d just found it was easier to be in rooms the other girl was not. (The same could be said for Ruby.) But, well, Weiss was tired—and when she was tired she tended to make decisions without thinking of the consequences they could have for her future. 

That single decision had led to a string of long conversations between them, some that Weiss couldn’t help but find herself loving. Eventually, she somehow finds herself talking to Pyrrha a little bit more every day, and she doesn’t quite know what to make of it. Why had the other girl decided to ask her about music anyway? Couldn’t she have talked to someone on her team? Or maybe even Ruby? They talk a lot together, after all, and it’s common for Ruby to be constantly listening to music—honestly, it’s rare to find her without those bulky rose themed headphones. 

She was unashamed to say that the question plagued her. 

So, deciding that she needed a moment of Winter’s time to ask what her sister thought was going on (or if Winter didn’t know the answer to complain a little bit) she made her way to the library call station. She didn’t know whether or not she’d actually get a hold of her, but Weiss could hope—and even if she wasn’t there she could still talk to her mother or Whitley. (Though note that she thinks that with less enthusiasm than before.)

As it turns out, her brother is the only one that’s free to take a call. Her eye twitched as she asked the receptionist to patch her through.

The matter with Whitley was a complex one. Her brother is… unkind to her. He has been for a long time, no matter how cordial Weiss attempts to be with him, no matter how soft she is to him—her brother remains… unkind. It had gotten slightly better, now that she was making these occasional calls to him, less ‘I hope you die’ and more ‘I hope you’re maimed’ but Weiss considered that progress to some extent. She wouldn’t delude herself into thinking that there would ever be a moment in time where she had a good relationship with her brother, she knew what it was like to be in his position. Weiss had used her position to find the strength to show defiance in the smallest of ways, and Whitley had used his to show his overwhelming faith in their father. 

Though his faith was so clearly misplaced, and though her brother would never allow her a moment of peace, she was a little proud of how steadfast he held onto his beliefs—even if they were the wrong ones.

“Ah. Sister.” He doesn’t frown, he has enough control over appearances to successfully prevent himself to sinking to such a level—but his voice does drip with disdain. “What a surprise, here to talk about your latest tryst? I didn’t know you had such faith in my listening.”

She blinked, for a moment—utterly confused, only to remember that was how he referred to all of her huntress work and schooling. He’d seen it as a discreet and passionate activity, entirely too stupid of a profession for his older sister to actually want to do in her future. He’d seen it as something of a dirty little secret, much like a romantic relationship and drew the conclusion that he’d use the word tryst—if only because she despised it so.

“Hello, brother.” She responded cautiously. That was how she always talked to him, cautious—like the two were playing a game that she didn’t know the rules. She would admit freely that her brother was a very clever boy, he knew exactly what to say and do to push the buttons of other people—but he wasn’t exactly a visionary. He just did the things he did because he wanted to survive, not because he actually thought about how his actions might impact the future. For him, all he planned for was how he was going to continue to live without the wrath of their father constantly wrought upon him. 

And, really, it wasn’t like Weiss could actually blame him. 

“Why have you called?” Whitley asked, clearly done with the pleasantries. 

“I wanted to talk to someone.” She said, careful not to say ‘I wanted to talk to you’ he’d think she was lying, even if she hadn’t been.

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, and she noticed for the first time that he was taking the call in his bedroom. It was certainly on purpose, he’d wanted her to see him there. “And… this desire was open to anyone?”

She got his message immediately. He wanted to interrogate her, to learn why she had refused to talk their father. The only thing that surprised her was that he wasn’t being particularly subtle about it. Her brother could never be as discreet as Weiss or Winter, but he was usually much better than this. He’d practically asked her if she wanted to talk to father straight out, if this were a game of chess it would be as though he’d shoved his queen in front of her own, with no backup or extra pieces ready to take out her own if she took his. 

It was strange.

She noticed once more that she was in his bedroom, and understood again.

He was going to tell their father what she said, there would be no way around that, but he was giving her a chance to change things for herself—to get back in their father’s good graces without actually having to speak to him herself. It was almost… kind.

“Whitley.” She said, pretending she didn’t notice him flinch when she whispered his name. (Like it was something precious, something to be an awe of, something to love.) “You know I can’t do what you do, don’t you?”

His face is paler than before, and for the first time she notices that his hair is different. It's a little messy, like he'd been running his hands through it, or he'd ran through the hall and forgotten to fix the windswept white blonde locks. She thinks that he looks more human like that, a little messy, a little stressed and a little sad. 

“He’s planning something.” Whitley whispered quietly after a moment of staring at her, looking down at his clenched fists. “He wants you back.”

“He’s always planning something.” Was her sharp response, though her eyes were soft. (And they stung a little, and something was blurring her vision.) “Thank you, Whitley… I love—”

He hung up the call before she could finish. She knew why, why he needed not to hear what she was about to say. Weiss knew that it would make things very difficult for him, that it would make every action he takes for their father that much harder for himself. She knew that, but she also knew that he needed to know that she held the sentiment for him, that she cared for him—even if he would never allow her to say admit it out loud. 

She ran into Pyrrha as she was exiting the library.

There must have been something on her face, because the other girl seemed to rush to her immediately.

“Are you alright?” She asked, (greengreengreen) gaze flitting up and down—as though she was looking for an injury. “You’re… you’re crying.”

Was she?

One of her hands went to her face, feeling the slick wetness that escaped from her eyes and down her cheeks. When had she started crying…? It must have been just before Whitley had hung up the call, he must have seen them, the tears—must have seen them begin to grow and boil over. Okay. She thought. If one good thing must come of her tears, at least he will know that she was not lying. 

“I didn’t know.” Weiss said, scrubbing at her eyes with the palm of her hand. “I haven’t… I haven’t shed a tear since I was twelve.” She blinked owlishly. “I didn’t know I could still do it.”

That must have been the worst possible thing to say in existence.

Because now Pyrrha looked like she was going to start crying.

“Er… are you alright?” She sniffled, looking up at the taller girl. “I didn’t mean to—”

And then Pyrrha was holding her close.

Weiss went very, very still. 

She was so much taller than her—like a skyscraper, so tall and solid. And she was so much warmer than her—like a campfire or a heater or the light that beams down from the sun. Distantly, she was aware of the fact that she should be panicking, that she should be figuring out why exactly it was that Pyrrha was hugging her—why she had bothered to draw her close enough to touch. But she wasn’t, couldn’t think of anything other than the fact that Pyrrha’s hold on her was so nice she was probably going to end up sobbing like some inconsolable child.

Then Pyrrha was pulling back, face slightly flushed but expression concerned and so profoundly sad that Weiss almost had to do a double take.

“I’m sorry for touching you.” Pyrrha said pulling back from her, “But I couldn’t help but want to make you feel better.”

“It was fine.” Weiss mumbled, suddenly feeling very cold. “Much better than you not touching me.”

Pyrrha went scarlet. “Um—”

But Weiss wasn’t really listening, still wiping furiously at her eyes in an attempt to get the tears to stop. The weren’t slowing, weren’t going away—Weiss’ eyes had a steady stream of them cascading down her cheeks and getting everywhere. She was beginning to grow frustrated. (And her eyes were really starting to hurt, was this what crying did to them every time? If so she didn’t want to do it again.)

“They aren’t stopping.” She complained, looking up at Pyrrha. “How do I make them stop?”

“I usually wait them out.” Pyrrha said, suddenly looking concerned again. “And sometimes it helps to talk about how they got their in the first place.”

Weiss sniffled. “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to do this in public…” She had a reputation at stake, thank you very much, she couldn’t be seen doing something as trivial as crying.

“You want me to come with you?” Pyrrha asked.

“I’d appreciate it.” Weiss mumbled, moving away from her. “But it is fine if you do not wish to.” She understood, of course. She wasn’t very good when it came to people actually crying in front of her, not that she wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed. Weiss would have to find somewhere quiet and alone, then she’d do as Pyrrha had said and wait the tears out of her eyes.

“I want to help.” Pyrrha said, preventing her from going any further with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Would you really allow me to?” There was something loaded in question, something that Weiss didn’t quite understand.

“Of course.” Weiss said, confused and rubbing at her eyes. “I told you once that your company is invaluable, and I meant it—truly, I cherish it at any capacity you’re willing to bestow upon me.”

That made Pyrrha gape, just a little.

“Did I say something strange again?” Weiss asked, troubled. “Neptune was right when he said I need to take that blasted sensitivity class.” Silently, she cursed the day he was born, and then promptly got over it.

“No.” Her voice was higher than before. “Let me take you somewhere, er… private.”

“Alright.” And then she was being lifted into the air and carried out of the room.

Weiss, not quite understanding what had just happened and not processing the fact that Pyrrha was carrying her bridal style out of the building, stayed silent—eyes wide and mouth opening and closing. She didn’t quite know what to say or do, so she stayed quiet, tears streaming down her face as her head was gently pressed to Pyrrha’s shoulder.

“I’m bringing you into my dorm room.” Pyrrha said to her quietly as they walked across the campus, ignoring the odd looks they received. “I asked everyone else to steer clear for a couple of hours.”

“Alright.” Weiss sniffled, touched. “Thank you, truly.”

“Of course.” Pyrrha said, as though there was nothing to it. “I didn’t know where exactly you’d be comfortable, so I decided to ask you if it was alright we go there—I know that stuffed animals can be a comfort, so I was thinking you could use Insta—” 

“Please tell me you aren’t talking about the stuffed fox.”

“Ruby was very fond of the name.” Pyrrha explained, slightly chastising. “I decided to indulge her, as it wasn’t really hurting anyone, you should do it sometimes.”

Weiss went silent. “I suppose that’s fair.” Her voice was quiet. “But I…” She stopped herself. “Nevermind.”

They reached the dormitories, and Weiss closed her eyes very tightly. She didn’t think she could bear to see someone she knew while she was in such a position. 

“I’d love to talk to you about that.” Pyrrha began softly. “What you think of her… and me.” She paused. “Another time perhaps.”

Weiss sniffled again, considering her words for a moment. “Perhaps.”

When they got to the dorm room, Pyrrha very carefully opened the door and gently placed Weiss on her bed—right beside the stuffed fox. She doesn’t think she’d ever be able to refer to it as any variation of her name, but she could at least stop complaining about it when it’s brought up.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Pyrrha asked softly. “You can confide in me, if you want to—I know that it’s hard for you to talk to people that aren’t Sun and Neptune.”

Weiss released a small bout of breathless laughter. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Pyrrha didn’t show her surprise, but Weiss knew it was there. “I was talking to my younger brother, he was… kind to me.” 

The teenager across from her blinked, coming a little closer and resting on the foot of her bed, watching Weiss curiously. “Was that so out of character as to make you cry?”

“Yes.” She admitted reluctantly. “Yes, it was.”

Pyrrha went silent now, looking at Weiss with a mixture of emotions she didn’t know the name of. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly. “That such a small act of kindness brought you to tears.”

She smiled. “Don’t be, it was—” Weiss thinks for a moment, considering the next words that she was about to say with more care than before. “It isn’t as though Whitley is a cruel boy.” She murmured. “He’s… he’s conflicted, and he’s afraid—and he doesn’t have the streak of defiance that I do, so he’s… he’s trapped.”

“I see.” Though it was quite obvious that she didn’t, that Pyrrha was confused when it came to things she was saying.

“I’ll tell you one thing about my family,” Weiss sighed, “that will make every action me and my siblings have ever taken make complete and utter sense.”

“Yes?” Pyrrha asked quietly.

“My father is not a good man, nor is he a very good father.” She said. “And my mother is a good woman, but she is not a very good mother.” 

“I understand.” Pyrrha whispered, and she did.

“Thank you.” Weiss smiled, looking at her. “I think my tears have gone away for now.” She visibly hesitated, moving to cradle the small stuffed arctic fox and looking away from Pyrrha. 

How did she ask for a hug without seeming too strange? 

“Say, Pyrrha?”

“Yes?”

“Why have you been asking me my opinions on music?” Weiss asked, chickening out and deciding to talk about something else, not really looking at her. “Not that I mind, it’s nice talking to you, but I’m just curious.”

“Oh.” Pyrrha suddenly sounded far more awkward than before. “Right. That. Well, um.”

Weiss looked up, a little confused as to why she had sounded so strange. “Are you alright?” She sniffled a little, rubbing at her eyes.

“Fine.” Pyrrha choked out, a nervous look on her face. “I… well, I guess I just wanted to talk to you.”

“About music?”

“Well, yes, Ruby has gotten me into listening to more of it, and she mentioned something about you having a talent for it—which I already sort of knew, considering I’ve been to one of your concerts before—”

“What?!” Weiss squeaked, her face going pink. “You’ve… you’ve been to one of my performances?”

“Er… yes.” She admitted hesitantly, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Your sister, Specialist Schnee, she gave me and my family a ticket to one of your recitals in an effort for us to consider attending Atlas.”

“The one just before Beacon’s term?” Weiss asked quietly.

“Yes.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Did you like it?”

“I… what?”

“Did you like my songs, my performance?”

Pyrrha smiled. “Very much so.” Something mischievous rose up into her eyes. “It was funny almost, when you first walked out on the stage and all the stuffy Atlesians gasped dramatically.”

“It was the first time they’d seen me with this.” Her hand went to her scar. “And the first time my songs were… more than they expected.”

“I believe that’s an understatement… edgelord. ”

Weiss blinked. “Pardon?”

“Nothing, nevermind—” Pyrrha stated hastily, “It was something Ruby dared me to do, don’t hate me—”

“It’s… fine.” She said, rubbing at her eyes, stupefied at the strange word. She’d have to look it up. Weiss hesitated again, drawing the stuffed animal impossibly closer to her, squeezing it tightly. 

“Did you… want to talk about something else?” Pyrrha asked, noticing her hesitance.

“Um.” She looked up for a moment, meeting a green gaze, and hugged the stuffed animal closer to her chest.

“Oh.” Pyrrha said looking as though she realized what Weiss had been trying to ask. “Did you want to keep the fox?"

“No.” Her eye twitched. “I appreciate the offer, however.”

“Then what did you want to—” Then, as though it was divine intervention itself, Pyrrha’s cheeks went pink. “—oh.”

Weiss felt warmth travel up her neck. “You don’t have to—”

But Pyrrha was already moving forward, gently wrapping her arms around Weiss and laying the both of them down. 

“Next time.” Pyrrha whispered, just a little teasingly. “You can simply ask.”

Weiss made an unintelligible sound, a cross between a whine and a squeak, and said nothing else. 

10.

“I’m poor now.” Weiss admitted to Sun. “I have no money because my father decided he wanted to be able to control every aspect of my life and I disagreed with him.” This of course was not anything new, but Weiss had decided it was time to confide in someone, and what better chance than now? 

For a moment, she’d considered talking to her team about it first, but faltered at the last second. Weiss knew that if she ended up telling them all it would be a step towards understanding, for them to know her and for her to trust them. But… it was spectacularly hard for her to even consider what she might tell them. It gripped her, hold unwavering, and shook her so thoroughly she feared she’d never have a moment of rest.

Which brought her to Sun and Neptune, her kind—if a little dim—boys.  

He nodded sympathetically, clapping her on the shoulder. “Welcome to the daily grind, babe.” 

“Good luck.” Chimed in Neptune agreeably.

They were sitting on top of the dormitory roof, watching the sun rise. It was surprisingly early in the morning for both of the boys, but they had seen her sitting by herself when coming back from sneaking off campus somewhere and decided to join her. 

“Thanks.” She smiled wryly. “Do you think I should get a job?”

“Just ask Ruby if she could sign you up for my training missions.” Neptune recommended from beside her. “You get a bit of pay for that, if you really need it.”

“Yeah but that means Weiss would have to actually talk to Ruby about her problems.” Sun snickered. “You may as well ask a Beowolf to roll over or play fetch.”

Weiss, in a moment of uncharacteristic childishness, slugged him in the shoulder. 

“Ow!” He whined, glaring. “Well it’s true, isn’t it?”

“He’s got a point there, Weiss.” Neptune added gently, glancing at her fist nervously and raising his hands in a sign of surrender. “You gotta talk to her, dude. All this secrecy and bad feelings isn’t good for your team.”

“And while you’re at it, talk to Pyrrha.” Sun said. “Don’t think she hasn’t noticed you avoiding her.”

“I haven’t been avoiding her!” She protested lamely. “I’ve just been… busy.” 

Sun and Neptune exchanged matching dubious looks. 

It made Weiss cringe and turn away to face the sun. It was beautiful, the oranges and yellows reaching up to brush away the dark blues of the lingering night sky. She shivered, pulling the hoodie she’d borrowed (stolen) from Pyrrha closer to her and drew her knees to her chest. It was difficult for her, the idea of opening up to the people who’d so easily captured her affection, who’d so easily drew her attention. They were distractions, wonderfully pleasant distractions, but distractions nonetheless.

(She’d already made a mistake, opening up to Pyrrha about her family, allowing her to see her moment of weakness. She’d already made a mistake, and she couldn’t afford to do it again.)

“You should go back to your dorm, Snow Angel.” Neptune smiled at her, flicking a bit of blue hair from his face. (His hair fell over his eyes when it wasn’t held back by something, usually his goggles. Weiss found it endearing, but she still had to remind him to get a trim later, it would do no good to have his vision obscured in something as important as battle.)

“Mhmm, don’t you say Yang always wakes up early? You’d have to explain where you were and what you were doing, not something I can see you doing comfortably.” Sun said, quite reasonably. “Besides, it’s really cold up here.” As though it needed to prove his point, his body shivered.

She sighed, still facing the sunrise. “Just a little while longer.”

“Alright.” Neptune mumbled through a yawn, shifting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Just a little while longer.” Sun agreed, resting his head on her lap and closing his eyes, basking in the warmth.

When Weiss returned to her dorm, she felt lighter, and was all the better for it. She noticed that two beds were empty, and almost panicked, before sighing and deciding it didn’t matter. She slipped onto her mattress, wrapping herself in her blankets and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep. She’d been up on that roof for a long time, longer than she should have been. She had told Sun and Neptune she’d decided to get up early to see the sunrise, lying to them. Weiss had been there since the two in the morning, and the cold that bit at every inch of her body proved that.

She shivered, curling in on herself. If she ended up sick, she could only blame herself.

Weiss couldn’t sleep, but she managed to find herself relaxing under the covers. Distantly, she heard the door to the bathroom open, and sighed into her pillow. She was still so cold, the material of her nightgown and Pyrrha’s hoodie still chilled from being outside for so long.

“Psst.” A voice from her side called. “Weiss, are you awake?”

She cracked open her eyes, peering through her eyelashes to see Ruby watching her curiously. “Unfortunately.”

Her partner was kneeled down in front of her bed, looking at her curiously. There was a look on Ruby’s face that filled Weiss with an unfair amount of dread. If only she could close her eyes and never see what the girl in front of her was doing. Her smile was tentative, and her movements were very hesitant, as though she was approaching a wounded animal.  

It made Weiss’ blood boil. (Which she was partly thankful for, as she was still very cold.)

“Hello.” Weiss mumbled when Ruby said nothing. “What is it?” Though her words were slurred with sleep, she still managed to get out simple statements and questions, much to her own relief. Though the blinds were closed, a sliver of the rising sunlight still fell upon Ruby’s head, hitting it in such a way the redness of her hair shone through to its roots.

(It was something that Weiss had noticed about her hair, the way that in just the right circumstances you can find yourself drowning in a sea of black, only to find that the red tips were not tips at all, and reached up into Ruby’s scalp—darkening the farther you went up. It made her wonder what Ruby would look like with long hair, would it be the same as now? So contrasting between red and black it looked like she had artificially dyed it? Or would the redness be more spread out, revealing more and more shades the longer it grew?)

Ruby’s smile turned into something much more authentic looking. “Are you alright with talking right now? Or do you want to wait when you’re more awake?” Though she sounded kind, there was a peculiar hardness in her eyes that Weiss distantly recognized.

Oh no, she thought, she was going to get scolded.

(She wondered what for, as there were many subjects that Ruby could bring up. It could be the fact that she’d been gone, the fact that she’d been avoiding Pyrrha, or literally anything else.)

Weiss grunted a little bit, lifting her hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes. (Ruby’s eyes followed her movements curiously, mouth expression softening.) “Right now’s fine.” She mumbled through a yawn, “Or never, but I’m sure that wasn’t one of the options.”

“It wasn’t.” Ruby agreed quietly, a peculiar look on her face. 

There was a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks, though Weiss couldn’t figure out why. Deciding that her partner must be cold, she scooted back so her body was against the wall, and gestured for Ruby to move closer. She wouldn’t normally be so bold as to do what she was about to do, but Sun had told her to talk to Ruby, and it would be kind of hard not to if she was laying down next to her. Hopefully, her partner didn’t get offended, though by the completely clueless look on her face, it was clear that Weiss would have to explicitly spell it out for her.

“Are you cold?” She asked. “If you are, you can get in—”

Ruby snapped out of whatever trance she was in and slipped beneath the blankets before Weiss could finish her sentence.

She felt herself smile a little, “Warm now?” Her tone was slightly teasing, much to her own surprise. She chalked up her sudden bravery to exhaustion, it was a lot harder to control your mouth when tired, after all.

“Um.” Ruby floundered a little, before frowning. “Jeez, it’s really cold under here.” She felt around for a moment, her hand moving to the top of the pillow to grip one of Weiss’ hands. “Whoa! You’re like an ice cube, Weiss!”

“So I’ve been told.”

“I meant that you’re really cold.” 

“I’ve been told that too.”

Ruby sighed, puffing up her cheeks and blowing some dark hair out of her face. “Stop being difficult about it and come a little closer.”

Weiss blinked for a moment. “Why would I need to—”

“Just do it!” Ruby said, exasperation more evident than before.

Frowning, Weiss obeyed and hesitantly positioned her body so that she was much closer to Ruby than before. It wasn’t hard, it was only a twin size mattress, but she still felt a lingering apprehension—perhaps it was because Ruby had a slightly frightening determined look on her face.

“You know, you’re a pretty smart person Weiss.” Ruby said.

“Thank you—” 

“Which is why it’s really weird when you play dumb.”   

“I’m not playing anything!” She protested, genuine… for once. “I really don’t know you what you’re asking for.” It was true. Though she liked to pretend she didn’t notice things sometimes, she was actually oblivious to whatever Ruby was seemingly getting up to.

Ruby puffed up her cheeks again, and Weiss fought the urge to squish them. “That’s really not a very good excuse.”

“It’s a perfectly logical excuse.” Weiss said, glaring.

“Closer!” Ruby pouted, “C’mon, hurry.”

“Ruby.” Weiss began, exasperated. “If I come any closer we would be—” She cut herself off, going silent. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Ruby repeated her mockingly.

“We can’t… we can’t cuddle.” Weiss wrinkled her nose. “I—”

“Well why not?” Ruby asked. “Yang and Blake are cuddling!” She jerked her head towards Yang’s bunk.

Weiss blinked for a moment. She’d noticed Blake was missing from her bed, but she hadn’t realized it was just because she’d spent the night in another one.

“Huh, I guess they are.” Weiss noted, blinking. She shook off her surprise, looking Ruby in the eye once more, “Regardless, I don’t think it’s a good idea too—” 

“Were you not hugged enough as a child?” Ruby asked, sounding curious. “If the answer is no, we would have to start hugging everyday, to make up for the ones you lost.” She nodded seriously, closing her eyes solemnly. “Yes, that makes perfect sense.”

Weiss groaned, closing her eyes and sighing. “I can’t believe I invited you into my bed.”

Ruby squeaked, whining. “Weiss!” 

“What?” She asked, opening up one eye suspiciously.

“Don’t say it like that.” Ruby was pouting again, though there was an interesting flush rising into her cheeks. 

“Like what?” Weiss noticed that Ruby’s ears were blushing too. Cute, she thought, then panicked and closed her one open eye so she wasn’t looking. 

“Like… like, you know—” Ruby cut herself off with a frustrated moan. “You’re so difficult sometimes.”

Weiss smiled, preening. “I know.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be a compliment!”

She opened her eyes just so she could wink. “I know that too.”

Ruby’s blush deepened. “Get over here you nerd.” She mumbled, looking grumpy. “You’re gonna cuddle me, and you’re gonna like it.”

“I wasn’t aware that I had invited Nora into the dormitory.” Weiss said with a raised brow. “But I guess we can—” Her expression soured, “—cuddle… if you really want to, though be warned, my daily affection quota for today has already been filled, so I may not be very good company.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby frowned a little. “You’re always good company to me.”

Weiss coughed into the palm of her hand and averted her gaze in an attempt to hide the blood rushing to her face. “If we do this...” She waved her hand to gesture to the two of them, mainly because refused to use the word ‘cuddle’ again. “I’m going to be facing the wall.”

“That’s fine.” Ruby smiled, looking a tad smug. “I get to snuggle you, so… you know, definitely a win for me.”

Weiss coughed again. “Quite.” Tiredly, she turned on her other side so she wasn’t facing Ruby, and tried to relax herself. Weiss tried forced down a squeak when Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist and tangled her legs with her own, but feared that she was unsuccessful when she heard Ruby laugh.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby’s breath tickled her neck.

“Yes?” She asked, pleasantly surprised when her voice sounded normal.

“What did you mean, about your daily affection quota being filled earlier?” Ruby asked. “It’s really early in the morning…”

“I was up for quite some time.” Weiss admitted.

“...oh?” Ruby was doing her best not to sound interested, but failing rather miserably.

“Yes.” Weiss sighed. “Sun, Neptune, and I watched the sunrise.”

Indistinctly, Ruby’s arms slightly tightened around her waist. “Did you have fun?”

“Not really.” Weiss admitted reluctantly. “The only reason they were up there was because I was—” She paused. It had been because she was sad. She’d been up on that roof for so long, hours before the sun had even hinted on peeking up over the horizon, because she couldn't wrap her head around all of the things that had been happening to her. Her brother, her father, Pyrrha and Ruby—all of it had seemed like so much, so she made her way to the roof, and just sat there for a while.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked softly, shifting ever so slightly and pulling her the slightest bit closer. “...um, what did you mean by ‘up there’?”

“We were on the roof.” Weiss explained, grateful suddenly when it appeared Ruby wasn’t going to press, only cringe when she continued.

“What exactly were you doing on the roof?” 

“...I couldn’t sleep.” Weiss admitted. She found it was much easier to talk to Ruby honestly when she wasn’t looking at her. “I was… pondering the repercussions of my… actions when it came to one of… to one of my family members.” She sighed. “I don’t know if you know, but I talked to my younger brother the other day.”

“Your younger brother?” It appeared as though Ruby didn't know she had one. A realization that was actually rather funny, considering that not a lot of people probably knew that Whitley existed before his fifth birthday. (It was a whole thing, something about how she and Winter had grown up in the public eye and how her mother hadn't wanted that for her son.)

“Whitley.” She said. “He gave me… a very important warning for the future.”

“You were upset.” Ruby realized. “And Sun and Neptune made you feel better.”

“Yes.” She said softly. “They were very kind to indulge me so.”

“They didn’t indulge you.” Ruby protested quietly. “They care about you, so of course they made you feel better, there was never any other choice for them.”

Weiss frowned. “But… but that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Weiss.” Ruby laughed, puffs of air tickling her ear. “It does, I promise.”

“But—”

“I’ll tell you all about it later if you want.” Ruby continued over her, mumbling her words into Weiss’ shoulder. Where Ruby’s lips touched her skin burned, even through the material of the hoodie she’d been wearing. “But for now let's get some rest, okay? You’ve been up since two in the morning, probably.”

“That’s… that’s not wrong.” She admitted reluctantly.

“See? That totally means that you’ve got to take a nap.” Ruby smiled lazily into her neck, shifting, and all at once Weiss was suddenly aware of how bigger Ruby was compared to her. Her arms were wrapped around her in such a way that Weiss felt smaller than she ever had before, almost like a child, and Ruby was so warm—her touch was gentle and burning all at the same time.

Deep in Weiss’ chest, a desperate fire spread, rushing through her veins and causing an unmatched pang of longing to resonate throughout her body. She felt too small, too tiny in the waves of her overwhelming desire for something she couldn’t really place. 

A flush rose from her chest to her cheeks, the blood causing pink to splotch unevenly on her face and the back of her neck. Unfortunately, Ruby noticed both of them.

“No need to be embarrassed.” Ruby laughed. 

“I’m not… I’m not embarrassed.” Weiss rasped, her voice uneven and more a whine than anything else. “Take back your slander.” She managed to quip, before having to bite back a whimper when Ruby’s lips lightly brushed against the back of her neck.

“Sleep.” Ruby whispered into her skin, “I’ll wake you up before lunch.”

“Alright.” She swallowed, the dryness of her mouth remarkably unpleasant, and closed her eyes—doing her best to fall into the land of sleep.

The last thing she remembers before succumbing into darkness, is Ruby’s face pressed up against her neck, and her warmth burning throughout every cell in her body. 

+1.

“So…” Yang trailed off. “How’s it hanging?”

Weiss fought the urge to resort to violence. “I’m very tired, and I think I’d like to go to sleep for the next century or so.”

“Mhmm.” Her friend nodded, “Well, it’s not like I can blame you.”

“Quite.” A pause. “Can you please help me get down from here? I twisted my ankle and can’t climb down.” She was in one of the taller trees that littered the academy grounds. Weiss had meant for it to be an activity to blow of steam, Sun recommended it often, but she’d injured herself on the way down and now she was stuck about twenty feet above the ground.

“I was wondering why you didn’t just jump.” Yang hummed. “I figured it was because you were scared or something, all bark and no bite, that sort of thing.”

“Yang.” Weiss sighed, drawing her knees closer to chest. “Please help me get down from here.”

“Hmm…” Yang pretended to stroke her chin. “Nope.” She popped the ‘p’. “I will go get my sister though, seems a good a time as any.” She started walking away, back toward the school building. “Bye Weiss!”

“I will not forgive this slight against me!” Weiss shouted back, seething.

“Have fun!” Yang shot her a thumbs up, before she disappeared out of sight.

“I hate everyone.” Weiss grumbled, leaning back against the tree. “Everyone is terrible, no exceptions.”

“Weiss!” A voice called, a flurry of rose petals giving way to two teenagers. Ruby looked quite comical, holding onto Pyrrha’s body bridal style. “We heard you got stuck in a tree!”

She frowned, mumbling. “Two exceptions.” 

“Hello again!” Pyrrha greeted her from the ground, her face slightly flushed. “Are you alright?”

“Perfectly fine.” Weiss responded, doing her best not to sound too sarcastic. “Just… just twisted my ankle.”

“In the tree?” Ruby asked, dubious. 

“Where else?” Weiss shot back.

Ruby pouted. “We’re here to help you, ya know? You can be a little nicer about it.”

Weiss cringed. Ruby wasn’t exactly wrong. “You’re right… I... I am sorry.”

“Pyrrha? Am I dreaming? Did Weiss just apologize to me?” 

Weiss groaned into the bark of the tree. She was very tired. “I’ll just use my glyphs.” She said, “No need to help me.” 

“Don’t be dumb!” Ruby shouts up at her, “Of course we’re gonna help you!”

“Ruby, dear.” 

Ruby flushed, “Right, sorry Pyrrha.” She twitched, face sheepish. 

Weiss sighed. She didn’t quite know what to do exactly. She could get down from the tree easily if she tried, a couple of glyphs and careful maneuvering and she’d be fine—but the way they were looking at her made her hesitate to actually do so. Why were they so insistent on helping her get down? It was only a tree, after all. 

Pyrrha eyed the tree curiously. “Well, we could climb up there and join her.” She turned to Ruby. “Unless you’d rather do something else.”

“Let’s climb the tree!” Ruby grinned widely. “It’s more fun that way.”

“Alright.” Pyrrha agreed easily, and together they began to scramble upwards, using the branches to reach the spot that Weiss had inadvertently trapped herself in. 

“Hello.” Weiss began, a little sullen. “What’s happening?”

“We need to talk to you.” Ruby explained, “And we need you to talk back.”

“That’s usually how a conversation goes, yes.” 

“Weiss.” Pyrrha chastised.

She mumbled an apology.

“Right!” Ruby said, face pulled into an expression more serious than before. “Let’s start with why you were running around not talking to anybody for the past couple of months.”

She opened her mouth to protest.

“Besides Sun and Neptune.” Pyrrha added before she could speak.

“Which, by the way, how did that happen?” Ruby asked, looking bewildered. “I mean at first you couldn’t stand Sun and you had this weird flirt-not-flirting with Neptune… so like, how?”

Weiss considered her for a moment. “I helped Neptune with an… errand he was running, Sun was an unforeseen and unwelcome consequence.”

“But he’s not anymore?” Ruby pressed.

She nodded wordlessly.

“We’re getting off topic.” Pyrrha interrupted, a slight sheen of amusement in her green eyes. “Why were you isolating yourself?” She asked her, voice gentler than before. “We were worried, and we care about you, but if you don’t talk to us we won’t be able to do much of anything to help you.”

For the first time, Weiss didn’t look away as the questions were asked. She was tired of avoiding them, tired of fighting desperately to keep her thoughts and actions at bay. She’d done all this to keep her father off of her back, to keep the Atlesian nobles from sniffing around her when she inevitably took control of the company. But what was the point anymore? She was going to be disowned some time, perhaps not today, or a week from now, or even a month—but it was going to happen eventually.

Her father was grooming Whitley to take his place, creating a smaller version of him to continue the company where it left off, and Weiss didn’t know what to do about that. She knew that she wasn’t going to let him, going to let him spoil her little brother into something so rancid she’d never be able to look at him again without recoiling. She wouldn’t ever allow her father do that to him, to them. 

But opening up to Ruby and Pyrrha, telling them everything, seemed like a monumental overreaction to the call she’d gotten the other day. Was she really considering it? Allowing herself to put down her guard? Asking the two to come closer, to see all of her, and then stay afterwards?

Yes, she realized. Yes she was.

“I was afraid.” She said seriously. “I needed to make sure… I needed to make sure things were safe.”

Pyrrha frowned and Ruby recoiled.

“But I realize now.” She looks at them, gaze gentle. “That I’ve played into the hands of a man much crueler than I, and that I’m tired of being a pawn in his games…” Weiss sighed. “There’s a part of me that’s desperate for change, tired of being so separate from everyone else, but there’s also a part of me that’s so afraid that I’m wrong about the decisions I’ve been making.” 

She trailed off, sighing. “I’ve claimed my life, it’s only a matter of time before my father decides to try and take it back from me again.”

Both girls went very still. “And where,” Pyrrha began, “do we fall into this situation?”

Weiss closed her eyes. “You… the both of you surprised me, you made me feel free—and that was dangerous.” Her eyes snapped back open. “Very dangerous for all of us, not just me.” She smiled, “You would have been fine, if not for the fact that I had grown… fond.”

“A pond?” Ruby asked.

“Fond.” Pyrrha explained, an unreadable expression on her face, not looking away from Weiss. “It means she likes us.”

Weiss’ smile went strained. “Very much so.”

“Oh.” Ruby looked a bit embarrassed. “But why is that such a bad thing?”

“It’s complicated.” Weiss said, fiddling with her skirt. “I… I was selfish, to want what I shouldn’t have—I had to take the SDC from him, I had to… I have to fix everything that my father ruined.” Her expression was fierce, a blazing fire of determination that she’d never allowed anyone to see before. They knew what she wanted to do, but they hadn’t known how desperate she was to get there, the things she was prepared to do to make sure her father’s hold on the world was weakened.

“Oh.” Pyrrha whispered softly, looking the slightest bit crestfallen. “But why did you think you had to do it alone?”

Weiss went quiet at that. She blinked owlishly at the two sitting in front of her, Ruby leaning back into Pyrrha’s chest and looking similarly sad. Was she joking? Of course she had to do it alone, there was no one else in her family willing to fight the rule of her father. Her sister had left, escaped from the burdens of the name she’d seen as a prison and had no plans to retake what had been polluted for her. Her brother was trapped, terribly afraid of the full attention of their father, terribly confused as to the world around him. And her mother… her mother wasn’t even an option worth considering.

“Because that’s how it’s always been.” Weiss said. “There was never any other choice—Winter, Whitley…” She considered it, mentioning her mother as someone who’d never fight, but hesitated. Willow Schnee was a drunk and a terrible mother, but nobody hated her husband as much as she. Weiss would just have to give her a little push to get her to help... but that was a plan that needed to be made later. “Nobody would fight him, no one would defy him, so I decided the title of usurper belonged to me.”

“But…” Ruby frowned. “What about us? We’d help you, I know Blake and Yang would too.”

“So would my team.” Pyrrha said, looking stern. “And everyone on team SSSN.” 

“What are you trying to say?” Weiss asked stiffly.

“You aren’t alone.” They said together, both with matching looks of utter seriousness.

Weiss fought the urge to gape. Somehow, despite the fact that all context clues pointed to them saying something like that, she was caught terribly off guard. How does someone respond to that? Do they just say thank you and then be on their way? Do they do something else?

“Oh.” She managed. “I didn’t know that.” (Because she hadn’t, and she found that they liked it when she was honest with them.)

“But now you do?” Ruby asked pleadingly. “And now that you know, you won’t avoid anyone anymore?”

“Er… yes.” Weiss began, brows furrowing. “I don’t… I will try to improve upon my behavior when it comes to the—er.”

“Running away?” Pyrrha recommended.

Weiss scowled, but nodded in agreement anyway. “Yes, that.”

“Cool.” Ruby said with a big relieved smile on her face. “I don’t want to know what would've happened if you said no.”

Weiss pursed her lips. “Neither do I.”

“That brings us to our next order of business.” Pyrrha began, clapping her hands together. “Why was it us specifically that made it so hard for you?”

Weiss didn’t outwardly react. “I think you know.” She said very quietly.

“Let’s pretend I don’t.” Pyrrha narrowed her eyes slightly. “It isn’t healthy to keep all those feelings inside of you, never letting them see the light of day.”

“What she said.” Ruby nodded solemnly, before pausing. “Er… what are we talking about now?”

“The thing, dear, the one we were talking about earlier?”

Ruby’s eyes widened, and she laughed nervously squeaking. “Oh right! That thing.” She at Weiss, watching her from across the small amount of space that Weiss had made for them on the tree branch. She opened up her arms, “Gimme a hug?”

Weiss squinted at her dubiously, but decided she was better off not resisting. “Alright.”

As soon as she was close enough to grab, Ruby was holding onto her for dear life. “Haha!” She cheered in Weiss’ ear, making her flinch. “No take backs!”

“What would I need to take back—”

“No take backs!” Ruby said over her, sounding stern.

“But what—”

“None.”

“Ruby—”

“I said no take backs, Weiss. You’re just going to have to deal with it.”

Weiss stayed quiet, looking up at Pyrrha and silently asking her if Ruby was serious. 

The other girl shrugged, a blindingly bright smile on her face. “You got a good hold on her, Ruby?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Ruby said, smiling into Weiss’ hair. (Weiss pretends she doesn’t notice Pyrrha go a little red at the use of the title ma’am.)

“Right.” Pyrrha coughed. “We should break it to her slowly, right?” She nodded, pondering her words for a moment. “Alright, do you want to tell her? Or should I—” 

“I like you, she also likes you, and to top it all off we like each other—boom!” Ruby cuts off Pyrrha easily, saying the words so confidently that Weiss almost takes her seriously.

“No.” Pyrrha sighed in exasperation, shooting Ruby a fond little smile. “Not boom.”

“Fine then, not boom.” She pouted, sounding far too morose, wrapping her arms tighter around Weiss and leaning her head back onto Pyrrha’s chest so she could sadly look up at her and pout.

“I think I’ve gone insane, that’s the only explanation for this.” Weiss mumbled, words choked. She knew she shouldn’t have helped Neptune turn into a wannabe mobster—but she had been bored, and finished with her homework, and still avoiding Pyrrha and Ruby. (But mostly she had been so very bored.)

“Hey, are you alright?”

“This is my punishment for showing Neptune how to run a successful business.” She said quietly, not noticing them. “I knew I should have just told him to shut up and leave me alone.”

Pyrrha blinked. “Wait—you were the one who showed him how to get that…” She used finger quotes, “‘Restricted items’ business off the ground?”

Weiss winced. By ‘restricted items’ she meant things that Beacon students weren’t allowed to go out and buy. Things like x-rated party supplies, firecrackers, prank items—pretty much anything that Professor Goodwitch would kill a student for having and Headmaster Ozpin would confiscate from a student just to use it later. “Yeah.” She said weakly.

“No wonder he’s your friend.” Pyrrha mumbled, sighing and rubbing her face exasperatedly. “You’re both troublemakers.”

Weiss choked.

“Wait a sec—hold on, my partner is a delinquent and I didn’t even know?!” Ruby pulled back from her, still holding Weiss by her shoulders but careful to be far away enough so that she could see the disapproving frown on her face.

“Not on purpose.” She said lamely. “I just gave him a couple of pointers, told him to invest in a calculator, things like that.”

Ruby was staring at her, a morose look on her face. “Oh Remnant I’m in love with a criminal, Yang’s gonna kill me.”

Weiss choked again.

“She’d probably just kill Weiss.” Pyrrha supplied, not at all helpfully. “I mean… super rich teenage girl who runs an underground black market or her baby sister, I think she’s gonna choose to off the super rich teenage girl who runs an underground black market.”

Weiss thought she might actually begin to start crying.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby began, looking worried. “Are, um, are you gonna say anything?”

“Are you sure?” Weiss asked softly, doing her best to snap out of her shock. Not that she succeeded or anything. “Sure that you like me, I mean.”

“Well, yeah.” Ruby said. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Weiss blinked slowly, then looked up at Pyrrha, as if to ask her the same question. 

“Undoubtedly.” The look on her face was earnest. “There is no question, not for me—not for us.”

She didn’t know what to do. Weiss was afraid of hoping for something like this to happen, was afraid of dreaming for something that had the potential to envelop her in happiness she was better off not wanting. 

“...but why?” Weiss asked. “The two of you are both so wonderful and I’m...” She paused tiredly, “I’m practically a broken mirror, interesting to look at but not at all something you'd want near you.” 

She was. She was a mirror, one that had been shattered, the glass shards jagged and sharp and dangerous. Pick one up, and cut yourself on them. Loving her was to hurt yourself.

A noise of outrage escaped from Ruby’s throat. “That’s not true.” She protested vehemently, “That isn’t true at all.”

“She’s right.” Pyrrha began, a perturbed look on her face. “How could you see yourself and see a person anything but worth the love we offer you?”

And she remembers the guilt, remembers how they had felt like chains around her—suffocating and constricting. And then she remembers the love, remembers how it warmed her and cared for her—remembers how her fondness for them had driven her to do things she never thought she’d do. 

“I don’t know.” Weiss said softly. “I really don’t… the idea that you offer this companionship with no conceivable strings it’s—well, it’s a new concept for me.” She winced. “I apologize.”

“You don’t have to—”

“No.” Weiss interrupted. “I do.” She took a deep breath, collecting herself. “I treated you both terribly, all because I was afraid—and it’s an excuse I can not stomach… You shouldn’t have had to deal with my… indecision.”

“You’re right.” Ruby nodded, cutting off Pyrrha before she could protest. “We didn’t deserve it.”

“Ruby—” Pyrrha started, only to be silenced with a glance.

Weiss doesn’t wilt, she’s far too proud for that, but she does sigh softly. It’s hard, it will be and always has been hard, but lately that’s been no excuse.

“Weiss.” Ruby said, drawing her gaze with a single word. “We didn’t deserve that, and I’m glad you know now and that you’re apologizing for your actions.” She swallowed, gently lifting a warm hand to cup Weiss’ cheek. “But that doesn’t mean we love you any less.”

“Alright.” She mumbled, trying not to lean into Ruby’s hold and failing miserably. “I… I care a great deal for the both of you.” 

“I’m glad.” Pyrrha smiled, looking relieved. “I didn’t know if you’d feel the same with me.”

Weiss blushed hotly. “Of course I feel the same!” Her voice cracked. “How could I ever not feel the same?”

“Well excuse us for worrying, Miss-I-guess-I’ll-just-avoid-everyone-forever.” Ruby scoffed playfully. “But you were sending out some pretty mixed signals for a while, if it hadn’t been for Sun and Neptune talking her down, I’m pretty sure Yang would’ve beaten you up.”

Weiss groaned, leaning forward to rest her forehead on Ruby’s shoulder. “I’m sorry… that I don’t really know how to… love properly.”

It was quiet then, and she’s only partly surprised when Ruby’s arms tighten around her, almost desperate. Then Pyrrha’s hand carefully drifts to run her fingers through her hair, her other arm wrapping itself around all of them and drawing them closer to her. 

“Hey.” Ruby began. “Is this the part where we make out and stuff?”

Weiss choked and Pyrrha laughed.

She blushed up to her ears. “That’s… you don’t have to put it so crassly!”

Ruby laughed into her hair, running her lips near her forehead. “You’re the one that said stuff like ‘I’m inviting you into my bed’.” 

It was Pyrrha’s turn to start choking.

“Well, yes.” Weiss leaned back, confused. “You wanted to lay down didn’t you?”

Pyrrha’s hand stilled, and she looked up to find green eyes staring down at her incredulously. “Sometimes I forget how oblivious you can be.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” She asked defensively. 

“It means it sounded like you were asking to do it with me.” Ruby explained, suddenly twiddling her thumbs awkwardly.

“To do what exact..ly...” She faltered. “Oh.” 

Weiss… Weiss didn’t really know how to respond to that. 

“It’s not my fault!” Ruby began, flushing red to her roots. “You said it really suggestively and you were laying on your bed looking all pretty and stuff in Pyrrha’s old hoodie—”

“You still have that?” Pyrrha squeaked, also beginning to go red. “I didn’t know you kept it.”

“We traded for it.” Weiss grumbled. “It was all fair and square, the transaction above board.”

“—so you get it, right? It totally wasn’t my fault, right?” Ruby continued, as though she hadn’t heard a word Weiss and Pyrrha had said. 

“Sure Ruby.” Weiss sighed. “It was totally my fault for saying something you misinterpreted.” 

“Okay. Okay. Cool… cool, cool, cool, cool—”

“Sweetheart, you’re going to give yourself another panic attack.” Pyrrha said softly, patting Ruby on the shoulder gently and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“I just can’t help it! You’re both have super nice smiles and really attractive personalities and have totally awesome weapons—” She cried out, “—it’s like you were both born just to torment me!”

Weiss snorted, she couldn’t really help it, it was probably a sin not to laugh at some of the things that come out of Ruby's mouth.

“Don’t laugh!” Ruby pouted. “We’ll leave you alone in this tree.”

“Feel free.” Weiss eyed her. Something told her Ruby wouldn’t follow through on her threat.

Indeed, all Ruby did was pout harder.

“Don’t fret.” Pyrrha murmured, dropping a gentle kiss on Ruby’s forehead. “We totally understand where you’re coming from.” She shot Weiss a look. “Right?”

“Oh, of course.” Weiss said, barely controlling the urge to roll her eyes. 

Ruby frowned. “Just because I don’t always understand sarcasm doesn’t mean I don’t know when you’re lying to me.”

She sighed, positioning herself so Ruby could look directly into her eyes. “I genuinely understand—”

Ruby beamed. “Thank you.”

“—that Pyrrha and I are so attractive you give yourself accidental panic attacks.” She finished, just as solemn and serious as before.

“Weiss!” The two protested in unison. 

She couldn’t help it, she began to laugh. It was such a strange experience, to be able to laugh in front of them without having to consciously control herself. She was still cautious, of them—of her feelings for them—but she found that a load and been relieved from her body, and for a moment she was holding up the sky no longer. Weiss smiled so broadly, her cheeks began to hurt, happiness was such a strange emotion—she thinks she’d like it around for just a little bit longer.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby began, a faint flush on her cheeks. “Can I kiss you now?”

“I’d also appreciate a kiss.” Pyrrha interrupted hastily, “Just in case you were offering one.”

She blinked. Oh right, kissing was a thing. Her face pinkened a little. “I… I would not be opposed.”

“Wow, so enthusiastic.” Ruby rolled her eyes, dragging Weiss closer and cupping her face with both hands. “I almost believe you actually want us to kiss you.”

“What is that supposed to—” And then Ruby was pressing her lips to hers.

Weiss instantly relaxed. It was… nice, the sensation of Ruby very gently leaning into her, the way her fingers cupped her face slowly intermingling with her hair—thumbs brushing along her cheekbones. It was so warm, made Weiss feel like a thousand of Neptune’s illegal firecrackers were going off inside of her. (So, it was more than just nice to Weiss—kissing Ruby was an adventure she’d never get tired of, swift and soft and wonderful.) 

Ruby pulled away, leaving Weiss dumb and dazed.

“Oh.” She croaked out, face burning. “Um… that was… very nice.”

Ruby snickered, though she didn’t look much better than Weiss, cheeks pink and eyes glazed over.

Weiss looked up at Pyrrha, who was also clearly embarrassed. “Are we going to do that too?”

Pyrrha actually squeaked.

Weiss regained enough of her mind to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, Pyrrha’s not good at initiating much affection.” Ruby said, also recovering. “That’s why you gotta do it like this—” And then she twisted around and kissed Pyrrha full on the mouth for a couple seconds. She turned back, blushing a little but doing much better than Pyrrha who looked as though she had a fever. “Got that?”

“I got the gist.” Weiss nodded with a crooked (but slightly flustered) smirk. 

Pyrrha made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a whine. “Please don’t tease me, I don’t think I can handle the both of you at once.”

Ruby cackled, spinning around so her back was against Weiss and leaning her way into her chest. “Follow my lead.” Ruby whispered mischievously, kissing her cheek. The spot burned where her lips had touched.

Weiss, because she had nothing better to do, obeyed—wrapping an arm around Ruby’s stomach and hesitantly positioning her chin on her shoulder. “Like this?” She mumbled curiously into Ruby’s neck.

Ruby didn’t respond, leaning into Weiss a little more. “You don’t think you can handle both of us at once? That sucks, doesn’t it Weiss?” She didn’t need to see her face to know that Ruby was pouting. 

Weiss hummed absentmindedly in agreement, wondering where exactly Ruby was going with this.

Pyrrha made another choked sound, blushing so badly that Weiss could see it rising from her neck and extending to the tips of her ears. She thought it was a shame that she was wearing her school uniform and not the clothes she used for combat, then Weiss would have been able to see where the blush started from. (Then she almost fell out of the tree when she realized she thought it was ‘too bad’ that Pyrrha wasn’t in her more revealing outfit. Luckily, her body didn’t so much as twitch, but it was a near thing.)

“Jeez, Pyrrha I was only teasing you.” Ruby continued. “I thought you liked it when I—”

“Okay that’s enough!” Pyrrha interrupted her, burying her head in her hands.

Weiss finally pieced together what they were going on about, and barely managed not to shove Ruby out of the tree. She did, however, pinch Ruby hard on her side. 

“Ow!” She pouted, looking up at Weiss, her face upside down. “You’re supposed to like me.”

“To an extent.” Weiss snarked back, though her smile was soft. “Now stop teasing.”

“Fine.” Ruby sighed. “But only if you give Pyrrha here a big ol’ kiss.”

Weiss rolled her eyes, but obeyed. She reached up, using the arm not holding Ruby to position her hand at the base of her neck, drawing Pyrrha closer to her. She paused for a moment before their lips met, as if to ask if it was okay, and Pyrrha nodded rapidly—causing Ruby (who was still in between them) to snicker. 

She kissed Pyrrha then, kissed her while Ruby was doing her best to not laugh at the expressions on their faces and the eagerness of their movements. If kissing Ruby was an adventure, than kissing Pyrrha was the profound feeling that followed a good book. There was a sweet yearning, even as they pressed their lips together, and though Weiss had been one half of the kiss she couldn’t be sure who that desperate wanting had belonged to.

It ended at the sound of Ruby’s happy little laugh. 

“Oh no!” Ruby said when they broke apart to look at her. “Continue, really—I don’t mind at all.” She grinned. “It’s pretty nice to look at.”

“I will push you out of the tree.” Weiss stated simply.  

“Psshh… fine.” Ruby pouted, than grinned again. “Last one down is a rotten egg—” Both Pyrrha and Weiss hurriedly latched onto Ruby’s body before she could escape. Making her squirm as she tried to break free. “No fair!” She whined, “Lemme go.”

Weiss and Pyrrha exchanged a look, before they reluctantly let go. Ruby was gone in a flurry of rose petals, her cackling the only thing they could make out of her. 

“Well.” Weiss began. “That was rude.”

Another burst of rose petals and Ruby was standing in front of her, hands on her hips and tongue stuck out. 

“Let’s get down now.” Pyrrha sighed softly, “I think we’re done with the tree for the day.”

Weiss nodded, and as they climbed down, she couldn’t help but think that Sun was right—climbing trees did relieve stress.

When they got to the ground, Ruby was waiting for her. 

“Oh you guys!” Ruby grinned at them. “We’re all a thing now! Yang’s gonna be so jealous, because I have two girlfriends and she only has one.” She jumped up and pressed a kiss to Pyrrha’s jawline, and then placed a chaste kiss on Weiss’ lips. “C’mon slow pokes.” She shot them a mischievous grin, skipping back toward the dorms.

Weiss blinked, and turn to look at Pyrrha, only to be pulled into another kiss. She let out a muffled squeak, blue eyes hurriedly fluttering closed. 

Pyrrha pulled back, flicking a bit of flame red hair out of her eyes. “I can initiate affection, don’t let Ruby fool you.” And though her cheeks were blazing red, there was a determined look in her eyes that made Weiss not doubt her for a second.

“Right.” Weiss agreed, voice squeaky, “Of course.”

Pyrrha smiled a little sheepishly, and with no more preamble began to make her way after Ruby.

Weiss watched for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.

Weiss didn’t really understand it. Love. It was… something that struck her silently, that snuck up on every defense she could think to put up. She remembered the idea of such an emotion existing in her everyday life. She remembered a mother who genuinely wished to be in her presence, a doting older sister, and an innocent little brother. But it had changed for her so quickly, the life that she’d led. Weiss had always been a girl in a gilded cage called ivory tower—it just took her mother losing herself and her sister joining the military to realize it. 

There was one time, one crushing thought that had just cemented her whole avoidance of anyone who could ever possibly care for her. She just… didn’t know how to love. She’d forgotten, she hadn’t understood what it meant, she hadn’t wanted to understand. But Ruby and Pyrrha, they had made her want to, and that was a type of power over her that she thought she could never forgive.

It was easy to avoid them, thinking like she had. Thinking they had power, thinking they could control her despite knowing they never would. It had been easy to believe that the way they had uprooted her plots, and altered her future in such a way she could have never planned was a bad thing. It hadn’t been, Weiss realized, it hadn’t been a bad thing at all.

Weiss watched them, gaze not straying for a second, watched them move forward and make their way charmingly to the dormitories, and without a second thought—she followed.

And, well, if a couple of her dastardly plots fail or fall short because of the two of them, why should it matter?

She smiled, allowing them to hold her hands and swing them back and forth.

After all, life rarely goes as planned.