Chapter Text
Several months had passed since Salem was defeated at Atlas, and though everything slowly seemed to be getting better, everyone was still raw from the stress of it all. "Uncle Qrow, are you okay?" Ruby asked with a gentle kind-hearted tone, she saw him looking down at a brown bottle. "Aww, relax kiddo, It's just rootbeer" Qrow chuckled back his reply with a laugh that hid pain underneath. "Oh, well that's good to know I guess, but I wasn't talking about the drink," Ruby replied. "Yeah, sure, don't worry about me…" Qrow replied, his voice trailing off as he took a drink. "Go on and get outta here, you all deserve a good break after what we went through," Qrow said again as he waved her away. Ruby nodded sadly as she gave him a brief hug before leaving.
She made her way back to the small apartment building where she was staying, she noticed an announcement from Winter and Robin Hill on a giant billboard of a repair program for Mantle, "phew, Never a dull day" Ruby sighed. Team RWBY had been busy the last few months assisting Mantle and slowly pushing back the Grimm, it had just gotten safe enough that they felt like they could take a break and not feel guilty about it. But with more resources being put into Mantle now they certainly are going to need more protection, so this break probably won't last long.
"Hello," Ruby chirped as she opened the door to a common area where the team usually hung out when they weren't in their rooms. "Hey, sis!" Yang replied, "hey Ruby," Blake added, "Where's Weiss?" Ruby asked as she jumped onto the coach. "She's in her room practicing her singing for the ball, she asked that no one disturb her," Blake replied. "What ball?" Ruby asked, "the Atlas Valor ball, they are giving Witley a reward for the evacuation of Mantle, and Weiss is gonna be the entertainment," Yang explained. "Weiss is being a superstar!?" Ruby chirped as she jumped off the couch and dashed to Weiss's door with her semblance. "It's not like that, HEY SHE SAID NOT TO DISTURB HER!" Yang yelled.
Ruby zoomed down the hallway then tippy-toed as she approached Weiss's door, she could hear her stretching out her voice in a long melodic opera high note that seemed to drag on endlessly. "Why would she need to practice, she's already perfect," Ruby said to herself as she heard Weiss finally finish the note and stop for a breath of air. "THAT WAS AMAZING!" Ruby said while opening her door wide. "RUBY! WHAT THE HECK!" Weiss shouted as she grabbed her pillow and threw it at Ruby hitting her square in the face, then she slammed the door shut before Ruby could say anything more. "YOU FORGOT YOUR PILLOW," Ruby said with a giggle through her closed door. The door then quickly opened and Weiss grabbed the pillow from her and shut the door without saying anything, then locking the door shut.
Uhg she can be the worst at times , Weiss thought to herself as she hugged her pillow. Ruby barging in made her almost rethink the thoughts she was having about asking Ruby to go with her to the ball as her date, almost. The fact was there was no one else that was even an option in her mind, she just wanted someone to go with her so she wouldn't be there alone and get asked to dance by every single guy there, it's nothing too serious, I'm sure Ruby would think nothing of it, she's innocent in that way , Weiss thought.
"But is it nothing to me?" Weiss whispered to herself as she put her hands to her lips. The truth is she had been unsure of her feelings towards Ruby for a while now, something about her seemed to make her mind fill with concern about her always. "It's just because she's so reckless," she would tell herself, but in reality, she feared that it was something more than that. If this was a real desire she had, that would be dangerous, especially since the path their lives were on was so dangerous, falling for anyone seemed like just too great a risk for heartbreak.
The next morning Weiss got up early before everyone else and made her way to the subway station. After a few stops she made the peaceful walk to the Weiss family manor, it was still 7 am so the city was still relatively quiet and no one seemed to notice her. Ding… "Hello dear, what can I do for you?" Clyde said in a low low-pitched polite tone as he opened the door for her. "I was just getting some fresh air and thought I'd say hello and good morning," Weiss replied. "Oh wonderful, shall I go fetch Witley?" He replied with a soft high pitched voice. "No, no, that's not necessary, I wanted to talk with you a bit first," Weiss said. "Oh of course, anytime dear, come let's talk over some warm tea," he replied.
"So, falling for someone you say, and do they know?" Clyde asked as the two sat down over tea. "I honestly don't know myself if it's that or not," Weiss replied. "But they are a close friend you say," Clyde asked. "Yes, I guess I'm caught between two emotions," Weiss said. "I know a thing or two about that deary" he replied with a chuckle. "On the one hand, I feel like with how dangerous everything is, I should keep all my friends just that, just friends, so I don't hurt myself, but on the other hand part of me wants to let go, and go with these feelings," Weiss explained.
"Hmm, but would it hurt any less if something terrible happened to any of your "just friends" as you say?" Clyde asked softly. "No, it wouldn't I suppose," Weiss replied with a sigh. "But I feel like the extra concern may become a distraction, and cause unwanted anxiety," Weiss added. "Hmm, in my opinion, repressed feelings tend to cause even more anxiety than concern," Clyde replied. "It's just, it feels like such a risky thing, bringing something so complicated as… love, into our team," Weiss said, her voice slightly cracking under stress. "Taking the leap of faith into a relationship is always scary, but it is far riskier to bury your feelings than to speak about them," he explained.
"I suppose you're right, and what's the worst thing that could happen, get rejected and go back to normal," Weiss replied with a nervous chuckle. "That's the spirit!" Clyde exclaimed as he got up and hugged her. "What are you doing here at this hour sister?" Witley said from the top of the staircase. "You didn't need to get up, I was just going to be leaving, just was passing by and thought I'd say hi," Weiss replied. "Hi" Witley replied smugly, "Oh come on don't be that way," Weiss said. "What you said you wanted to say hi, well then, hi," he joked back. "Okay whatever I'm going to get going you little brat, I'll see you at the ball tomorrow," Weiss replied as she started walking to the door. "Yea see you then," Witley replied with a smile.
"HIYA!" Ruby yelled as popped out of her semblance and sliced a target board in two with her whirling scythe. "I didn't call you here to destroy gym equipment," Ozpin said. "Then they should have built the practice equipment better, what's the point if you can't hit them," Ruby complained. "The equipment will serve fine for what I called you here, I didn't call you here to see what you already know how to do," Ozpin replied. "Which is?" Ruby asked. "The use of the magic of course," Ozpin replied. "I see, are you sure Oscar would be ok with you using magic?" Ruby asked. "I don't need to use magic to teach you," he replied.
"I see, so is it like a semblance that I can do anything with?" Ruby asked curiously. "Not exactly, a semblance is from your soul, an expression of it, magic is a separate power that you tap into, you should be able to feel the difference inside," Ozpin explained. "Yes, I do think I feel it, but it feels like it's locked away inside me, I don't understand," Ruby questioned. "I think I might understand this problem," Oscar replied as he took control. "You feel like it's not yours, right?" Oscar asked. "Well, it did come from Cinder, plus I never wanted magic, so yea I don't feel like it's my power," Ruby answered.
"Yes, I understand, It can be hard for me to tap into magic for the same reason, both because I'm reluctant to use it and I feel like it's Ozpin's power, not mine," Oscar explained. "So what should I do then?" Ruby asked. "I guess there's a certain amount we all must bend into fate, so it doesn't break us, hopefully, we can bend in a matter so we don't lose ourselves," Oscar explained with a little sadness in his voice.
"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Ozpin said as he took back control again. "You say that as you force him out of his own body professor Ozpin," Ruby replied with a bit of bitterness. "Trust me when I say he was okay with it, I want to respect Oscar more than any of you, but the reality is time is of the essence now and I don't have all day to train you," Ozpin said. "Fine… I'm all ears then," Ruby stated with resolve.
"Yang! Ruby!" Blake yelled as she walked into their common area as she had finished her daily missions early. "Oh hey Weiss, you alone here?" Blake asked as she noticed Weiss pacing back and forth in the room. "Um, Yes," Weiss replied nervously as she stopped and sat down by the fireplace. "Have you heard from the others today yet?" Blake asked. "Haven't heard from Yang yet, I assume she's still busy with grim on the north side of Mantle. Ruby said she had magic training from Ozpin she had to do," Weiss explained. "It's crazy to think, Ruby is a maiden now, I hope she is careful with it," Blake said as she walked over and sat in a different chair that was in front of the fireplace.
"Knowing her, she'll probably do something reckless," Weiss sneered back. Blake paused for a second taken back by Weiss's attitude. "Weiss, is something bothering you? You look more uptight than usual," Blake asked with concern. "No, I'm fine, just this stupid ball got me all worked up," Weiss replied. "You don't have to sing there if you don't want to, I know it's probably hard after everything that happened," Blake said. "No it's not that, I'm going to sing, It's just, I need a date…" Weiss said with embarrassment.
"Aww, Weiss Schnee can't find a date? That is sad," Blake giggled as she teased her. "Shut up, you already have yours!" Weiss snapped back. "What's that supposed to mean?" Blake replied, still giggling. "I know you're going with Yang, pretty sure everyone knows," Weiss replied. "Okay, I guess, but you don't need to be jealous about it," Blake replied as she blushed a bit. "I'm not… jealous," Weiss replied. "That's convincing," Blake said. "I want to ask…someone…but I'm not sure…what they would think," Weiss said, stuttering slightly.
"Oh, is it someone I know about? I see no reason why anyone would turn you down," Blake asked, lowering her volume to invite Weiss to tell her. "If I tell you, You have to keep it a secret okay," Weiss said seriously. "Um, sure I can if that's what you want," Blake replied. "Not even Yang, Especially not Yang!" Weiss exclaimed. "Uuh okay, but why would Yang be a prob…" Blake stopped as she noticed Weiss had been fiddling with the red scarf Ruby gave her throughout this whole conversation. "No, No Way!" Blake exclaimed as her face lit up with joy. "What!?" Weiss asked not knowing what Blake was thinking.
"It's Ruby isn't it!" Blake shouted. "HOW, WHAT THE, GRRR" Weiss replied as she shoved the scarf into her pocket knowing that it was what gave her away. "Oh my goodness that is funny, and all that time we thought you hated her," Blake giggled. "I mean it when I said not a word to anyone!" Weiss replied. "Sure thing Ice queen," Blake teased. "And, it's not like it's a big deal or anything, I'm just asking to a ball, and I had no one else to ask, plus she might say no anyway and then it's all water under the bridge," Weiss explained as her voice cracked a bit. "Sounds like denial but okay," Blake replied with a chuckle.
A few hours later…
"Greetings Team! How was…and I smell cookies!" Ruby yelled as she dashed through the room and appeared in the kitchen. "Hey, you're supposed to wait!" Yang complained as Ruby yoinked a handful of cookies from the still-warm baking sheet. "You can't stop me," Ruby teased her sister as she dashed out of the kitchen as fast as she appeared. "Um, Ruby…" Weiss spoke up as Ruby was walking by heading to her room. "Yes, Weiss?" Ruby said as she abruptly stopped and faced her.
"So, what are you doing?" Weiss asked, guess I'll break the ice with the small talk she thought. "Oh I noticed during practice Crescent rose was acting a little squeaky, so was going to be cleaning her and greasing her joints," Ruby replied. "Of course, it's a she," Weiss giggled. "You bet ya, ain't no one like her!" Ruby replied as she hugged her gun. "So Ruby I wanted to ask you something," Weiss asked, her expression turned formal. "Sure, what's up?" Ruby replied.
"Well, it's about the ball tomorrow night," Weiss said. "Oh don't worry, I wouldn't miss your performance for anything!" Ruby said while giving an awkward salute. "Oh, thank you, but where are you going to go with me?" Weiss asked a hint of nervousness creeping through her voice. "Why do I need to go with anyone?" Ruby asked. "Be.., because it's a ball, you have to unless you want everyone asking you to dance with them," Weiss replied with a bit of frustration.
"Eh, it will be fine, I'll just tell them no thanks when they ask," Ruby said. "What, you can't do that!" Weiss replied. "Why not!?" Ruby asked. "Just, because it's against the rules and it's disrespectful," Weiss said. "I'll just tell them I'm here to see a friend, nothing disrespectful about saying no to a dance," Ruby said defiantly. "Grrr, yes it is in these kinds of events," Weiss said trying to reason with her dolt. "Then what would you suggest I do?" Ruby asked. "Well, since neither of us has anyone we want to go with, I was thinking… We could go with each other… for… convenience's sake only," Weiss replied, trying to be as formal as she could to hide her stuttering.
"Haaah!" Ruby exclaimed. "What?!" Weiss replied. "Are you asking me to be your date!?" Ruby said with giddy excitement. "Unbelievable, I should have assumed you would be weird about it," Weiss replied as her face drooped into disappointment. "But this is pricelessly cured! How could I not take advantage of this moment to pester you!" Ruby said giggling. "Uhg, what are you even talking about?" Weiss asked. "Your Weiss… The stiff princess… Ice Queen," with every name Ruby called her Weiss was getting more and more agitated. "And you're asking me Ruby to be your date, AHAHAHA" Ruby continued laughing hysterically.
"You are the worst…" Weiss replied. "I was not the worst or you wouldn't have asked me to go," Ruby teased. "Well, you are making me change my mind about asking you you dolt!" Weiss snapped back. "Oh but I'm your dolt ain't I?" Ruby teased back. Weiss felt like her head was going to explode from that comment as she turned her face away to hide how red she was. "Awww you're blushing," Ruby said. "STOP IT you're being mean," Weiss whined. "Kekeke, see you at the ball Tomorrow silly," Ruby replied while tapping Weiss's shoulder as Ruby walked off towards her room.
"Wait, is that a yes!?" Weiss replied with a bit of shock. "Of course it is, Partner," Ruby replied with a little salute as she walked into her door and closed it behind her. Weiss stood still for a moment in shock that she said yes as she completely forgot about how annoyed she was just a moment ago. "Everything okay?" Yang asked as she noticed Weiss standing still cross-armed staring at Ruby's closed door. "Oh um, yeah everything is fine, any of those cookies left?" Weiss replied. "Of course, we made plenty, we need help finishing them before Ruby comes back and eats them all," Yang said. "I guess I'll come and have a few," Weiss replied.
The next day in the early evening hours just past sunset.
"Oh my goodness, you look fabulous!" Yang exclaimed as Blake walked out of her room in an elegant but simple short black dress. "Thanks, Are you ready to go?" Blake replied with a small blush. "Am I?" Yang replied as she struck a pose, she had gray khakis and a sharp purple blazer. "Okay, point taken," Blake giggled. "Come on Ruby we are gonna be late!" Yang shouted. "Im, coming… ugh I'm so bad at this darn lady stuff!" Ruby complained as she stumbled out of her room while slipping her shoes on.
"Um…" Yang paused for a moment as she saw her sister's outfit. "What are you talking about, you look amazing," Blake complimented. "No, seriously who picked out that dress for you," Yang questioned. "No one but me, is it, okay?" Ruby replied. It was a silky long red dress that was asymmetrical at the bottom showing her lower right leg but completely covering the left leg. It had a long sleeve that went down to her wrist on her right arm while the left arm and shoulder were left exposed with no sleeve, the top extended to her neck and wrapped around it smoothly.
"What are you all staring at, let's go!" Ruby exclaimed as she wobbled out the door in her black heels. "Jealous that she's beating you in fashion," Blake quietly teased Yang. "No no, I'm way past that, I'm in shock!" Yang replied, making Blake burst out chuckling a little bit. "What are you two laughing about?" Ruby asked as she held open the door to the limousine that would take them to the ball. "Is there something wrong with how I look?" Ruby asked again. "No"-"No Ruby, trust me you look perfect," Blake replied.
Weiss stood patiently in front of the conference center while she waited for her friends to arrive, she was slightly rocking back and forth on her heels to try and calm her nervousness. Come on please don't be late she thought as she looked at the time on her scroll. She knew she wouldn't have much time to talk with her friends, she had to go backstage to prepare for her performance soon, but she hoped to see them before she performed to calm herself a bit. "Oh thank goodness," Weiss said to herself as a limo pulled up that she assumed had to be them.
"Phew… Okay now Weiss, calm down, you're just going out as friends…" she told herself as she caught her breath. "Hey there!" Yang yelled as she slid the door open and hopped out with Blake. Weiss said nothing in reply except a simple nod and a smile as she thought they looked cute together. Then Ruby stepped out, Weiss felt her throat clamp up as she marveled at her appearance, she wanted to compliment Ruby on how she looked because she could see she looked shy and nervous as she fumbled out of the limo. "I… You…" Weiss stuttered as she found it hard to breathe all of a sudden, let alone speak. "Weiss, are you okay? You look pale," Ruby asked as she approached her.
"Um…*cough cough* Yes, I'm okay, you?" Weiss replied. "I'm splendid since I have an actual date hehe," Ruby giggled. "Akkem…Please don't make this weird for me," Weiss replied as she stiffened to hide her blushing. "Pfff… ah, there she is, Hi Weiss, how have you been?" Ruby replied. "Uhg, Ruby, Um listen, I'd love to stay and chat but I have to go backstage and get focused on my singing," Weiss said abruptly, deciding not to reply to Ruby's joke. "Aww, okay then, good like up there Ice Queen!" Ruby replied. "Shut up," Weiss said with a smile as she trotted off.
The truth was Weiss could have stayed with Ruby for a while longer, but being around Ruby was more difficult than she had predicted, especially when she had to focus. Still, she had been friends with Ruby for a long time now, normally it wasn't difficult at all, any thoughts of Ruby being something more than a friend were so trivial compared to saving the world, so she never had to think about it. But now she was thinking about it, and she is on a date where Ruby is looking like the most gorgeous woman in the world, Uhg, it's all hitting me too fast. Weiss thought as she put her hand to her chest as her throat and chest started cramping up again.
"Okay… Okay, Weiss pull yourself together now…" She said to herself as she took one more glance at Ruby before she pushed herself to focus and continued walking backstage. "You look rough sister," Wittley said, surprising her a bit as she lifted her head. "Hey there, I'm okay, just a lot on my mind," Weiss replied. "Well, anyway, thanks for coming," he said timidly, still unsure of getting close to his sister. "It's no problem, trust me," Weiss said. "Thank you," He replied. "Where's Mom?" Weiss asked. "I wouldn't know, probably doing what she normally is," Wittley said with a mild sneer. "Sigh… well, I hope you enjoy tonight, I gotta get going," Weiss said. "Same for you," he replied as she continued walking.
"Someone looks bored," Yang teased as she and Blake approached Ruby who was sitting alone at a high-top table fiddling with some food she grabbed. "These cookies are terrible," Ruby complained. "The orders are kinda bland, I'm sure the entries will be nice," Blake replied. "Sigh, I sure hope so," Ruby replied. The lights in the room dimmed as a spotlight shone onto the empty stage as people settled into their seats. "Oh, shh! Here comes Weiss," Ruby said as she gestured to them to sit down.
The room went quiet and the room lights dimmed more so all that could be seen s the stage as the curtains slowly split and Weiss stepped forward alone onto the stage, her White elegant dress reminded Ruby of the first time they met, albeit this dress was more elegant and longer, also it lacked the color accents that her other outfits had. Her face seemed calm as she took a deep breath through her nose, and her eyes closed as she started to sing.
"It starts
With the unexpected loss of something dear"
Wow, Ruby thought as she sat in awe of her angelic voice.
"The warmth
That comforted and cradled just disappears
And in its place, there's nothing
Just an endless empty hole"
Ruby leaned and sank into her hand as she stared, mesmerized.
"The light that showed the way is gone
And darkness takes control
Bitterness and anger are quick to fill the void
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed"
Wouldn't be Weiss without a sad song… Ruby thought as the song made her want to walk up on stage and hug her.
"She's pretty good," Yang commented. "Pretty good?" Blake replied. "Okay really good," Yang said as she gave Blake a shove. "She's perfect," Ruby said in a little daydreamy tone. "Awww, I'll tell her you said that," Yang teased. "No you won't," Ruby snapped back trying to keep her voice down. Blake sat back and enjoyed the show as she noticed Weiss peek into the crowd at them, she then noticed Ruby sinking back into her daydreaming as she listened to the song. Blake couldn't help but wonder if there were mutual feelings between them of the type that is more than just friends. What about me and Yang, Blake thought, she knew they were more than friends, but it kinda hurt that they never said that they were more than friends to each other or anyone, it was just an unspoken truth.
The room fell silent for a minute as there was a pause in between songs. The three of them erupted in clapping, drawing a blush from Weiss as she took a drink of water and gestured a toast at them from on the stage. Ruby then noticed Winter standing at the entrance of the ballroom just far enough in to listen to her sister's performance. She hoped Weiss noticed her back there, she probably isn't going to stay after she's done singing Ruby thought as she assumed Winter was super busy.
The room fell silent again…
"Mirror, can you hear me?
Do I reach you?
Are you even listening?
Can I get through?
There's a part of me that's desperate for changes
Tired of being treated like a pawn
But there's a part of me that stares back from inside the mirror
Part of me that's scared I might be wrong
That I can't be strong…"
Why does she blush so much when I tease her, Ruby thought to herself as she admitted her. Could she maybe feel something for me? She questioned herself in her thoughts.
"I've been afraid, never standing on my own
I let you be the keeper of my pride
Believed you when you told me I was nothing on my own
Listen when I say, I swear it here today
I will not surrender, this life is mine!"
No…no way, She's Weiss Schnee , Ruby reasoned with herself. But, I don't see how it would hurt to try, the worst that could happen is she would accuse me of being weird , she thought. I can always just say I'm joking around , Ruby thought as her head was now fully sideways resting on the table as she stared, mesmerized at Weiss's beauty.