Work Text:
Ruby was exhausted. Weiss wasn't faring much better. The pair had just spent the day tracking down Grimm outside of Atlas for General Ironwood. It had gone well, all the reported Grimm were all dead and accounted for but it had taken a lot out of the both of them. Ruby had taken a nasty hit in the ribs and Weiss suffered a long scratch running up her right arm. It had bled a lot but it was shallow, and the extraction team's medic was able to stop the bleeding quickly. Ruby had insisted that she was fine but the medic found that she had a couple of bruised ribs and wrapped them despite her protests.
As they walked into their shared room Ruby immediately turned on the radio. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her.
“What? I don't think I can stand any silence.” she said almost sheepishly, looking away.
Weiss playfully rolled her eyes and turned away to walk towards the bathroom. Her hair was a mess and her braid was pulled apart, barely holding itself together by her hair tie. She scowled at it in the mirror as she tried to detangle it. Some kind of soft pop music played on the radio and the air was warm. She looked back to see Ruby watching her from her bed. She was smiling, her gaze softened as she took in the sight that was Weiss Schnee. Weiss caught her gaze and smiled back.
“Are you going to take a shower? I need some more time to detangle my hair. That Ursa really did a number on it.” said Weiss.
“Yeah, but you can take yours first. I can make you a cup of coffee that will be ready when you come out.” offered Ruby. She rolled onto her back and watched Weiss upside down, blinking owlishly.
“That would be divine, thank you. Do you remember how to make it?”
Ruby smiled. “Of course. It’ll be sitting on your nightstand when you get out.”
Weiss’ shower was a godsend. She stayed there under the spray for a long time and got out feeling like a million lien. Her skin felt dewy and fresh after she had spent the day fighting in the muck. She changed into her Atlas issue t-shirt and sweatpants and stepped out of the bathroom. As promised, her cup of coffee sat on her nightstand still slightly steaming. She grabbed it and sat on her bed to start drinking it.
She looked over to where Ruby was laying. She was in a state of total relaxation, her eyes closed but still bobbing to the music. Weiss looked her over head to toe. It was obvious Ruby was still in pain as she still winced every so often as she shifted to get comfortable. Weiss’ eyes dragged over her face, noting the small scrapes that dotted her jaw and the dirt that was smeared across her forehead.
Under all of that Ruby was beautiful. Ruby's dark eyelashes curled like scimitars and her cheeks glowed with a rose colored blush. Weiss started to comb her hair as she continued to note the small details that made up Ruby Rose. The black choker encircling her delicate neck. The little tuft of hair that could never stay combed down. The soft curve of her jaw. The strands of red that curled through her hair like fire.
Heat began to rise to Weiss’ face but she continued to watch her. She hadn't really gotten a chance to observe Ruby this relaxed since, well, she didn't even know when. Maybe when she and Yang came back through Ravens portal. That night Ruby had crawled into her bed and did not let go of her until morning. Weiss had clung to her just as tightly. That morning the sunlight streaming through the window illuminated Ruby like a halo. She had looked like a sleeping angel next to her. Ruby’s hands had been curled in Weiss’ sleep shirt, soft and pliant. Weiss gently brushed Ruby’s hair behind her ear. Her hand had lingered over her ear, tracing it with almost reverent fingers. Her hand dropped to Ruby’s neck, resting it over her pulse point like she was making sure that Ruby was real and not a dream. Ruby had woken up then, a sleepy smile gracing her face.
“I can feel you watching me.”
Weiss was startled out of her reverie by Ruby’s voice. She looked to see Ruby slowly starting to sit up in her bed. Ruby gasped as the movement jostled her ribs and grit her teeth in pain.
“Are you okay? Do you need help?” she asked, concerned.
“No, I'm fine, really. All I need is a shower and I will be right as rain, I promise.” Ruby said, standing up with a wince. She sluggishly made her way over to the bathroom. Weiss watched, worried. Ruby unfastened her cloak first, throwing it into a corner. Next she began to unlace her armored corset with fumbling fingers. She struggled with it for many minutes before letting loose a sigh of defeat.
“Weiss? Can you help me undress? I can’t get this stupid corset off.”
“Yes, I'll be right there.” Weiss abandoned her comb and coffee and walked over to Ruby. Ruby was leaning against the sink with both hands propped against the counter.
“Okay Ruby, I need you to stand back a little.”
Ruby moved back, letting Weiss step in front of her. Ruby sighed again when Weiss began to unlace her corset. They were very close, barely any space between them. Their breaths mingled as Weiss stepped closer to untie a knot. Weiss made short work of the corset, pulling it off silently and laid it on the counter. She began to help Ruby take off the rest of her outfit. Both of them helped each other dress and undress many times before, so with ease did they finish. Ruby stood in only her undershirt and shorts leaning on the counter with her arms crossed and her eyes soft. Weiss then cleared her throat and stepped away. A blush painted her cheeks.
“You're all set! Do you need anything else Ruby?” Weiss fought to control her heartbeat as she pointedly did not look at Ruby, who was still lingering by the bathroom door. Ruby ran a hand through her messy hair and shook her head no, sliding the bathroom door shut. All that was left was the radio crooning quietly in the corner.
Weiss picked up her coffee and drank the last few sips, which were now cold. She could hear Ruby singing along with the music and tried to ignore how adorable it was. It didn't help that Ruby didn't have such a bad singing voice to go along with the lyrics.
They had been avoiding, dreading even, addressing this tension that was coiled so thickly around them. Before, back in the early days at Beacon, Weiss could rationalize that Ruby was still two years younger and technically a child compared to her. She could throw herself into her studies and try not to return the bright smiles that were shot her way, and suppress the incessant need to stay by Ruby's side and simply ignore her for a few days. She could try not to care about the hurt that she inflicted just to try to not let Ruby inside her icy walls. It was different now. Ruby was no longer a child, and Weiss was no longer an emotionally repressed heiress. She could ask for help now and she could help others. She could lower her defenses and let Ruby in and have no fear of being hurt. She was safe with Ruby, and Ruby was safe with her. Ruby promised so long ago that it would be the two of them until the very end, partners for life even. She was starting to believe it too.
Her train of thought was ended by the click of the bathroom door opening. Ruby was wringing her hair out with a towel by the mirror with an expression of almost comical concentration, causing Weiss to stifle a laugh. Her attempt was apparently poor enough that Ruby caught her eye in the mirror and raised one brow in a perfect arch.
“What, Is there something on my face?”
Weiss giggled. “No, you are just looking at that towel like you're trying to figure out a way to kill it.”
Ruby put a hand on her chest and scoffed. “As if. This towel is perfectly innocent. A fine towel, this towel is. It is the most magnificent towel in all of Remnant,” said Ruby in her best Ironwood impression, which is to say it was terrible.
Weiss rolled her eyes fondly and threw herself back into her pillow with a sigh. A moment later Ruby flopped down on the floor next to Weiss’ bunk and rested against the bed frame. The music at some point had turned from pop to something resembling jazz. It was slow and sweet, and Weiss caught herself thinking about how nice it would be to slow dance to (She had to stop herself from thinking of dancing with Ruby)
. Weiss wasn't sure when the music changed, but it was a nice reprieve from boy bands singing about heartbreak. She heard Ruby move below her, then a hand was extended to her.
“May I have this dance, fair lady?” asked Ruby from an exaggerated bow.
Weiss laughed at her antics and stood up. She took Ruby's hand and gracefully curtseyed.
“Of course dearest Rose, how could I ever refuse? It would be a mark on my honor as a lady to refuse an invitation from one so polite as yourself.”
Ruby grinned and took her other hand. She moved out into the middle of their room and pulled Weiss closer, a hand moving to hold her waist gently. Ruby's hands were careful as she tried to lead them into a waltz, but it quickly became apparent that she had no idea what she was doing.
Weiss shook her head. “You dolt. Here, let me show you how it's done.”
Years of forced dance classes culminated in Weiss trying to teach an increasingly exasperated Ruby how to properly do the waltz, but failed miserably. Ruby couldn't seem to grasp the steps and ended up stepping on Weiss’ feet more times than she could count, but Weiss didn't mind. If anything it was worth the pain to see Ruby in such deep concentration over something that wasn’t related to their cause. However, it was time to admit defeat. Ruby obviously wasn’t getting it.
Weiss pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and sighed. “You know, for a girl that hefts a scythe twice the size of her body with ease, you would think that she could at least have some kind of rhythm.”
Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. “Yeah, but that's fighting, not dancing. Dancing is a totally different battlefield.”
“Obviously. I was always taught that dancing and fighting go hand in hand. You have to have the grace and poise to fight your enemies while preserving the strength of a warrior. With each in mind, one becomes a formidable opponent.” said Weiss.
Ruby shrugged.
“Let me try something,” said Ruby, once again assuming her earlier position, one hand in Weiss’ and the other perched on her hip.
“Close your eyes.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it, trust me.”
Weiss let her eyes slide shut. Ruby's voice sounded far away when she spoke again.
“Focus on the music. Let it be the only thing you hear, okay?”
Weiss slowly realized that they were starting to sway in a slow circle. Ruby slid the hand on her hip to her lower back and moved closer. Weiss could feel the heat of Ruby's hand on her back like it was on fire. The music was forgotten as she felt Ruby's lips brush her cheek, then Ruby's chin as she rested it on Weiss’ shoulder lightly. Weiss gasped slightly, and hummed to the tune as they danced. Weiss let her hand that was on Ruby’s shoulder move to the back of her neck, and loosely played with the silky red strands. The moment was too intimate for it to be casual. This was crossing the thin wavering line that they had drawn between them. Ruby's fingers played with the hem of her t-shirt, and lightly, almost reverently, brushed the strip of soft skin that was exposed.
They had stopped dancing. Ruby lifted her head from Weiss’ shoulder and lightly kissed the side of her jaw. Weiss stopped breathing. Ruby then kissed a small, smoldering line up her cheek, her eyelids, her temple, to the corner of her mouth. Weiss was helpless to stop her, she was putty in her hands. She didn't want her to stop. Weiss cupped the sides of Ruby's face with shaking hands and rested their foreheads together. This was the tipping point. If nothing happened here in this moment, well, Weiss wouldn't know what to do. She had wanted Ruby for so long it hurt.
“Do you want me to stop?” came Ruby's voice, soft with an edge of worry.
“No” thought Weiss as she closed the distance.
Ruby's lips were as soft as she had always imagined them to be.