Work Text:
Morning Coffee Notes
(Soulmate AU)
Ruby woke to the quiet noises of the slowly waking city. She looked at her still sleeping soulmate.
Weiss Schnee was a beautiful woman, with makeup always on point, always in the latest fashion, just overall always sharp about her appearance. Except at times when she was sleeping deeper than the lowest possible natural point on Remnant.
“Oh, love. You are so lucky we all sleep with our eyes closed….” she murmured as she gently kissed the forehead of said woman. With that Ruby rolled out of the bed, tripped and fell on the slippers Weiss claimed to be useful. To Ruby they were a nuisance at best and a hazard at worst.
The younger girl just couldn’t understand why people would need extra clothes to wear them indoors. Needless to say, her habit of walking around without slippers or a bathrobe rubbed Weiss all wrong, but they agreed to disagree. Atlas or not, she grew up on Patch and all knew that the countryside wasn’t for the weak. That is to say, the slippers and the bathrobe were hard no even before Weiss purchased them.
She stumbled her way out to the kitchen, making her way with her eyes closed out of grogginess, the familiarity guiding her to the coffee machine. She pushed the button and plopped down on the nearest kitchen chair. Internally being thankful for Weiss’ weird habit to always prepare the coffee machine the night before.
“If I don’t get coffee five minutes after waking, I am a murder machine.” She used to say. Which made Ruby think every time. How could somebody so small turn into a murder machine… It has to do something with a spike of adrenaline and being feisty in general. Ruby wasn’t sure about it. She wanted to see it happen, but she was also concerned for Weiss. Thinking of Weiss made her think about plans they should do for the day. While she waited for the coffee to ready, Ruby listed all the activities they could do on this fine Saturday.
“Maybe we can visit that Lego robotics exhibit….” She said to no one in particular. “But then we should find something that Weiss would enjoy too….”
A faint rustling and loud flapping of room slippers indicated that the call of the coffee woke Weiss. The increasing volume of the sleepy Weiss prompted Ruby to get the sugar and milk.
And there she was, the most beautiful woman in the world, wearing a crumpled T-shirt with a videogame logo on it, hair still tousled from sleep, robe open and stretching lazily on the doorstep.
“Good morning.” Weiss said with her voice still croaky from sleep. She cracked open one eye at the lack of response. Ruby was sitting at the table, deep in thought. She traced invisible lines on the shiny surface of the table. Her mind was probably working out an engineering dilemma. So much for her plan to lure her wife back to bed to be lazy until noon.
Weiss sat down opposite of Ruby and looked as her inner genius was working out a complex problem that probably bothered the department for weeks now. For that, she was one of the most valuable member of the team, but the one who was rarely needed. Ruby was often bouncing around on projects, solving errors and bumps that would cost months of work of an expert team and thousands of Lien to the customers. She was required to keep herself to all the existing confidentiality agreements, even the stupidest sub-paragraphs of them. So to avoid accidental leaks of company secrets, Ruby simply memorized every part of it, and spent a month teaching herself how to calculate the ridiculously intricate equations in her head. Weiss watched fondly as her wife counted out numbers articulating them on her fingers of one hand, while the other was restlessly placing down the components of a device or any other subject of her train of thought at the moment.
Weiss still remembered how Ruby had stormed the interview like a mad woman. She burst into the office, nearly breaking the door off of its hinges. Exclaimed she has to be quick, because she has a date with a *very* an important lady who will be her wife. And with that she sat down to solve the stuff that was shown on the wall. Didn’t even read the task at hand, just decided to go after her head and combined the three equations into one and solved it as if it was nothing. She has no idea of the weight she just did up to this day. “Nah, it was easy. Numbers are obvious, a puzzle you put together. I was more nervous about going on a date with you, Weiss.” She always brushes it off when Weiss brings it up. In fact, she managed to impress the bosses and even her jerk father. She got a life-long contract with the SDC, her own apartment free of charge, and an apocalypse-proof plan to get the best medical attention, god forbid, anything happened and a hefty salary on top of all that.
If Weiss had to be honest, she was green with envy how easily this goofball in front of her won the recognition of her father… But only at the beginning of their relationship. No matter what life threw at the two of them, at the end of the day Ruby was the clumsy dolt who managed to send her an unfinished assignment as the first ever note she had gotten from her. Over time she grew to accept that Ruby really was worthy of all the recognition. After all, she managed to track her down from only a slip of poorly translated term of slang.
While the world, and mostly her father, celebrated Ruby as a hero who saved millions of Lien a year for the company, Weiss got to see all faces of Ruby. How Ruby kept track of her moods, made the connections to her schedule, and worked out a perfect plan to help her relax the best when she had a bad day. How she liked to bundle herself up on the couch, because it was ‘sulking time’ even if she said she genuinely had no reason for it, because she had a great day. Or the times when Weiss woke to an empty bed in the middle of the night and saw Ruby standing at the open window, observing the nighttime traffic. And all the other unusual things that had ‘Ruby’ written over them in all capitals and the most vivid red possible.
All in all, life was eventful with Ruby, but she never, ever felt unloved. Not even for a fragment of a second. All she had to do is give love and cuddles in return. Which proved to be an easier task than she initially thought.
“That should work.” She looked up at Weiss. ”I did it again, didn’t I?” Ruby asked sheepishly, her counting hand still raised in the air.
“Make me love you more?” Weiss asked as she stood to tend to the coffee machine. She kissed the top of Ruby’s head as she passed her. ”Yes.”
“Oh, I…” She started, but blushed all the way to the root of her hair. ” I wasn’t… I mean. I –uh… Yeah.”
“Did you get the solution you were looking for?” Weiss asked as she prepared the coffees for the two of them. She memorized it years ago. While most people’s tastes changed over time, Ruby took her coffee the same as the day they first met. It didn’t stop Weiss at scowling how she massacred perfectly good coffee with the blasphemous amount of cream and sugar.
“Thanks Weiss! It was amazing!” Ruby chirped happily after downing it in a few gulps. Weiss eyed the small measuring cup Ruby drank her daily coffee from.
“Of course it was. It’s easy to keep the ratio right when you just need to look at the lines.” Weiss smiled fondly into her own cup. Which was a real cup. Not a measuring one. ”I’m impressed you’re not pooping sugar cubes though.”
“Maybe I do!” Ruby exclaimed with such vigor, it made Weiss spit-snort her mouthful of coffee.
“Oh sh-“ Ruby darted around the table to help Weiss with pats on her back.
Despite being on the verge of suffocating on her morning coffee, Weiss just couldn’t stop laughing at the awful joke. She was only human. Being bombed with such things before her first dose of caffeine is a privilege only allowed to her soulmate.
Realizing Weiss’ life wasn’t in danger anymore, Ruby started laughing too. The two sat there, bundled up in the closeness of each other and giggled about other silly things.
“And that’s why you should drink and eat as fast as you can.” Ruby finished her educational monologue about the safety measures of consuming edibles.
“Some of us like to enjoy the flavor. You know.” Weiss lifted the cup to her lips, but didn’t drink yet. Mischief was written all over Ruby and she didn’t want to waste any more of her coffee.
“I only drink coffee, because it makes me beautiful and fast.” She said as she struck a pose, which she thought would emphasize her beauty.
“The caffeine hadn’t even settled in your system and you are already on full speed, love.” Weiss smiled into her mug. Ruby moved to clean up after themselves. She moved with the practiced ease.
“Ewwww, you spit in it, Weiss. Are you still drinking that?” Ruby said with a no good smile as she was pottering around.
“So? It’s mine. Imagine that every coffee I drink has my spit in it.” The woman answered with a light shrug.
“Wait! Don’t drink.” Ruby held out her hands to make a point for Weiss to stop. “You will choke again if I say this.” For that Weiss arched eyebrow over the rim of her cup.
“Now.” Ruby started with a deep breath. “I am gently hinting that I am *your* wife.” She laced her fingers together to seem more professional and gave a few seconds until Weiss registered where she was going with it all.
“You…..” the older woman stared in disbelief as the other looked like ready to bolt to safety if needed. “I can’t believe you!” Weiss raised her voice in pretend displease and launched a kitchen rag at Ruby. Who despite looking like she was ready to dodge, she made no effort to actually do so.
The duo laughed lightheartedly. Weiss even made a low effort to chase Ruby around the kitchen with a hand that she previously licked. Once the two grew tired of being childish, Weiss set to take care of her dirty cup, while Ruby put the coffee creamer back in the fridge. Soon Weiss was giggling on her own.
“Is everything alright?” She turned to face the other woman.
Ruby didn’t answer, but held onto the fridge door handle like she saw a ghost. The poor girl didn’t even register the slender arms looping around her.
“Ruby, are you okay, dear?” Weiss asked as she rested her chin on Ruby’s shoulder. She squeezed her wife gently, hoping that would break her out of her stupor. Despite her every effort, Ruby remained tense as a log.
Then she saw it too. Among the thick red and pale blue post it notes, there was an unfamiliar one. It was mint green and had an unusual beehive pattern shining on it faintly. Maybe it was only her imagination, but it seemed it emitted a faint glow too.
“Hello world! :D” was written on it. With letters that seemed more like a text printed in some sans seriff font than actual handwriting. In the lower right corner there was a serial number: M374, in the same lettering as the message above it. There was no doubt what it was, any other detail about it was clearly unclear. On the bright side, they both could read it, so this note must be some crude joke. There’s no other way, or any logical explanation for it.
“The fu-“
“Weiss! What does this mean?!” Ruby croaked, fixated on the note itself. “Was this there before I opened the fridge?”
“I don’t know, Ruby.” Weiss loosened her grip on the other girl and stormed out of the kitchen. “But I have an idea.”
With that Weiss disappeared from sight. Not like her wrath. A burning hot wrath, which could be heard through several closed doors. Ruby could only make out bits and pieces from her current position, but one thing was clear: Weiss was very, very, very furious.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?!”
Silence.
“CUT THE CRAP, XIAO LONG! IT WAS YOUR DOING, I KNOW IT!”
Another batch of silence.
“What on Remnant does that mean? Only you two have spare keys to the apartment! The least you could do is lift your butt, come over here and apologize.”
This time Ruby could hear the other half of the conversation too. But what Weiss should do with ducks was beyond her understanding. All her brain power was consumed by solving the mystery of the unknown note.
“No, Yang. You should be sorry! All our plans for relaxing this weekend goes out the window! Ruby is under the kitchen table, CRYING, DAMNIT! No! Don’t you dare to hang up!” Weiss stomped with her foot as she arrived in the kitchen. To her surprise, a big, warm mug of something with whipped cream and marshmallows was neatly prepared for her. It wasn’t a surprise that Ruby crawled under the kitchen table though.
Weiss took the mug of cocoa and crawled next to Ruby.
“Hey.” She wiggled close to her wife. “Do I have a pass into your fort?”
“Always.” Ruby sniffed, cradling a big mug for herself “Here Weiss.”She patted the blankets in the hastily made pillowfort. “You know I love you, right?” She said as she extended something to Weiss.
Weiss stared at the block of post it notes in disbelief. It was a nice pack of elegant and durable material, with a midnight blue gradient. Ruby was holding a similar pack, but in a different texture and in her own respective colors. She looked at Weiss with glossy eyes.
“Try it out, Weiss.” Ruby nudged the other woman.
Weiss would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about this whole scenario. It was so absurd. She had found her soulmate. The true love of her life. Why would she need another one? Discarding this thought, she wrote on the note: “Nice to meet you.” in her usual spotless hand.
To her surprise, a replica appeared, plastered neatly on the leg of the kitchen table, right under a deep red note with a hastily scribbled “Hi” on it. She dared to glance at Ruby. The girl stared back with innocent doe eyes as she pointed towards a square of mint green paper appearing out of thin air.
“We are doomed, right?” Ruby whispered, smiling bittersweet.
“Look at the bright side. At least you didn’t send out your weird homework project this time.” Weiss nudged the other with her shoulder. According to her plan, Ruby let out a snort of laughter.” Besides. I already promised to be by your side, you dolt. You won’t get rid of me that easily.” Weiss raised the hand she wore their wedding ring on.
“Thanks Weiss.” Ruby said and downed her cocoa in one gulp, idly chewing on a few marshmallows that survived the rapid drain.
“Oh…uh… Weiss…. I might have told them about Boss Weiss….” Ruby looked genuinely ashamed of herself. “I wrote that Boss Weiss is scary and that I like the real one better. But I didn’t use your name, don’t worry.”
“Just don’t let too many people know that I can be nice too.” Weiss chuckled and kissed Ruby sweetly on the lips. “No one would believe you anyways.”
‘Don’t tell anyone about boss-wife, please. She hates her too.’ Ruby scribbled on the small square of paper, then let it go to find their missing third.
“There. What do you think they are like?”
“I’m sure they are lovely. They are our soulmate after all.” Weiss let her head fall on Ruby’s shoulder as the two of them scribbled away on their pack of post it notes.