Chapter Text
Weiss sighed and set down the invitation before swiveling her chair around to look out at the work being done. It had been years since the war against Salem and the Grimm came to an end. The kingdoms that had survived came together and helped the people of Atlas and Mantle rebuild their new kingdom. Weiss had been proud to help back then, but now her efforts focused on the four kingdoms' most recent expansion. The city of Vytal was the largest and latest expansion of Remnant. A new city that would be the world's central hub and was, of course, situated on the island of Vytal.
The invitation's presence seemed to slowly engulf Weiss's office as she tried to ignore it. It was in that infuriating, somewhat sloppy penmanship she had come to love. Weiss's heart twinged, and the woman huffed as she swiveled around and read over the letter again. It was an invitation from Ruby to the rest of her team to come to Patch and spend a few days relaxing with her and celebrating the anniversary of the war's end.
Team RWBY had stuck together for years after the war ended. They followed Weiss to the remains of Atlas and helped rebuild the kingdom with her. It was there that she realized just how far she'd fallen for Ruby Rose, and it was there that she had learned it wasn't meant to be. Ruby had turned her down and done it as gently and kindly as expected of the team leader. Weiss had been devastated, but she tried not to let it affect her. She'd failed, and when the Vytal Project was announced, she threw herself into it entirely.
Around the same time, Blake had taken Yang to Menagerie to see her home, and the two settled down there, adopting some kids and starting a family while continuing to better the island.
Ruby wasn't able to stay still. After Atlas had been rebuilt and Vytal was starting, she returned to Patch and continued to operate as a Huntress. Salem may be dead and gone, but the pools of Grimm she had infected Remnant with were still around. The number of Grimm fell yearly, and even the most conservative predictions pointed to a complete eradication of their kind within five years. That prediction was given five years ago when RWBY went their separate ways. Grimm still infected the world, but they were dwindling.
Weiss sighed and laid her head on her desk. Years had gone by since she saw her friends. She talked to Blake and Yang occasionally when she could, but she always hesitated on Ruby and would find an excuse to not call her. She may have been avoiding it, but Weiss really did want to see Ruby again because she never stopped loving her team leader, her best friend, the girl who turned her life around and filled all the best memories she had.
A groan slipped from her lips as she lightly tapped her head against the desk, trying to jostle the thoughts of red hair and silver eyes. They had a death grip on her mind ever since she saw the invitation.
"Wow, that's impressive."
Weiss looked up to see her younger brother Whitley walking in. "I haven't seen you like that in a long time. What happened?"
Weiss smiled internally at how kind her brother had become now that their father was gone. He was a gentle soul and a good person. She was proud of him.
"Oh, Ms.Rose sent you a letter? Despite her rejection, I see you're still desperately in love with her."
"You're the worst." Weiss groaned. "A terrible little brother."
"I love you too, sister," Whitley said as he set the paper down. "I have to ask, why aren't you packing?"
'What? Who said I was going?" Weiss asked as she pulled her head up off the desk. "I have a lot of work to do here."
"And I can handle it," Whitley said as he placed a hand on his chest. "I have been studying under you for some time, and I've had several successful projects. I can manage in your stead until you return."
Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but Whitley smiled as he kept talking. "Sister, you have not seen your best friends in years. You've thrown yourself into work, and you barely interact with others outside of that. You deserve to see them all again and to speak to Ms.Rose again about your feelings for her."
Weiss blushed and scoffed as she crossed her arms. "That's a stupid idea. Why would I do that? She turned me down once. If I threw myself at her again and if she were to answer the same, I-I would have to feel all that h-hurt again."
Weiss trembled slightly as she remembered how hard she had taken it. She'd cried her eyes out for so long that Winter and Whitley had to come looking for her. They'd spent hours comforting her, but still seeing Ruby after that had caused her no end of heartache.
Whitley patted her shoulder as he said. "Things may have changed. It's been years, after all, and besides, maybe you'll be able to move on from these feelings or find some closure this time."
Weiss sighed and looked at the invitation. The sloppy scrawl of letters beckoned her to the small island she'd only ever visited once before. Red hair swayed in the breeze, and silver eyes shined with mischief. A giggle escaped the girl's lips as she practically whispered Weiss's name. They'd snuck down to the kitchen and were eating cookies. Weiss couldn't remember who started it, but someone had told a bad pun, and thanks to Yang's influence, the two had descended into a pun-off, as Ruby called it.
Weiss grabbed the letter and stood. "Whitley... I'm going on vacation for a little while. Can you hold down the fort for me?"
Whitely nodded. "Certainly, sister. Go have fun and relax. Everything will still be here when you return."
Weiss nodded before setting off for her home so she could pack and book a flight to Vale. If her letter arrived at the same time as Blake and Yangs, then she should arrive at Patch after them since she'd been sitting on the invitation for a day and a half, and there was no way her teammates would hesitate to hop on a boat with their kids and go see Ruby as soon as possible.
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"What do you mean you aren't there yet?" Weiss asked as she sat on the boat, taking her to Patch. "How are you not there yet?"
"Sorry, Weiss," Yang said as she tried to wrangle a child off-screen. "A storm is passing by, and all flights and boats out of Menagerie are grounded. We should be able to leave in like two days and then-"
"Then it'll be two days before you get here," Weiss said before letting out a deep sigh. "Fine... this is fine."
"Come on, Weiss," Yang said as she gave Weiss that annoying big sister look. "I know you haven't talked to Ruby in a long time. She's been complaining about it more and more recently."
Weiss tensed and felt a flutter of emotions that she couldn't pick apart right now. "I- she has?"
Yang sighed and nodded. "Yes, she wants to know what her partner is getting up to. I know how you feel, and I know things in Atlas didn't go well for you, but it's been years now. You gotta talk to your best friend. You can't just avoid her for the rest of your life. It's not fair to either of you."
Weiss prickled with annoyance, but she stamped it down quickly. "I-I know, ok... it's just. Imagine if Blake had said no after you were so sure she would say yes. After years of pining a-and everything. To get a no like that..."
"Eh, that never would have happened with us," Yang said, and as Weiss bristled with anger, the blonde's smirk slipped away, and she shifted back into that damn concerned big sister mode. "I get it, though. It hurts, and it's scary to face someone you love after they've hurt you, but Ruby doesn't know how badly you took it. You never let her see, so she thinks everything should be peachy. You should talk to her. You don't have to confess again or anything, but let her know how badly you got hurt and put it all to rest."
Weiss slumped in her seat as a frown pulled at her lips. She watched as Yang passed the child she'd wrangled to Blake, who was just off-screen. "I suppose I should. I just kind of wish you and Blake were there already. The idea of being alone with her for that long... it's-"
"Exhilarating," Yang said as she smiled. "You'll have a few days to try and wow her or to bury the hatchet and put these feelings to rest. Either way, I expect you two to be talking again by the time Blake and I get there."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Yang," Weiss said as she rolled her eyes.
"That's big sister Yang to you," Yang said as she gave another mischievous smile. Weiss wondered if Ruby and Yang got that from their father or if Summer was a more mischievous person than Weiss thought.
"Whatever, I'm hanging up now."
"Good luck Weiss. We'll see you soon." Yang said before disconnecting.
Weiss sighed again and looked at the calm ocean stretching to the horizon. She was not feeling as confident anymore, but it was too late to turn back. Quite literally, since the ferry wouldn't be leaving Patch for two days once it docked.
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The town of Patch had grown since the end of the war. It was still one of the smallest populations of Remnant, but it had grown and spread to the edges of the island. Ruby lived on the other side of the island from her father. Weiss wasn't sure why, and she hoped it wasn't because of a rift in their relationship. She'd always enjoyed seeing how much Ruby loved her father, even if his jokes caused Weiss psychological pain.
Ruby's house was a modest home that looked like it could comfortably hold a small family. The thought stabbed Weiss in the chest. She attempted to distract herself by inspecting what she could immediately tell was Ruby's workshop. The building was nearly as big as the house and seemed to be as well cared for as the house.
Weiss took a deep breath and gathered her confidence before approaching the door. It had been years since she saw Ruby and her stupid shiny silver eyes and her pretty red hair. Weiss took another deep breath and approached the door before she could chicken out.
Her knuckles tapped the door three times, and Weiss took a step back as she tried to brace herself. There was no telling how Ruby would look. Would she be the same as ever, or would her style have changed? Would she smile when she saw Weiss, or would she be distant?
The door opened, and Weiss looked up to see nothing. No one was standing in the doorway.
"H-hello?"
Weiss's head snapped down to the source of the quiet voice, and she came face to face with a young girl no older than five. She had short messy black hair with wolf ears poking out... and silver eyes. The girl stared at her cautiously, and Weiss felt stumped. "A-ah... um."
'Is this the wrong house? This has to be the wrong house. Ruby is not a small child. Ruby doesn't have a child... right? This girl has silver eyes. That's not something that's common. Oh god, I feel like I might throw up or just combust.'
"Noir? What are you doing at the door?"
Weiss's breath caught, and she tensed as the familiar voice washed over. Her entire body entered fight or flight with a heavy leaning to flight. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to go back to Vytal and throw herself into her work until she could remember nothing else.
The door opened to reveal Ruby Rose dressed in a pair of black overalls with a dark red shirt underneath. Her hair was longer and pulled into a low ponytail that dipped a couple inches past her shoulders.
"Weiss."
Weiss nearly flinched at the sound. She had said her name so softly, and it threatened to break her into pieces. "H-hey Ruby..."
Ruby smiled and stepped past the child. Weiss felt her entire body tense as her first friend, her team leader, the love of her life, pulled her into a warm tight hug. Ruby groaned as she squeezed Weiss. "I'm so glad you came."
"Y-yeah, I-I'm here," Weiss said as she hesitated for only a moment before wrapping her arms around Ruby and holding tight.
"Mom?"
Ruby pulled away, and Weiss wasn't sure how to feel. That child was staring at them, confused, and she had called Ruby mom.
Ruby chuckled as she walked over and scooped up the young girl. "Sorry, Noir. Let me introduce you. Noir, this is Weiss Schnee, my bestest friend in the whole world and my partner. I've told you a lot of stories about her. Remember?"
Weiss felt herself blushing as Noir stared at her with stars in her eyes. Ruby chuckled and looked at Weiss. "Weiss, this is Noir Rose... my daughter."
Weiss felt like her world was falling apart. Ruby had a family. She had a daughter. Why was Weiss here again? She suddenly couldn't remember.
"Come on inside. I can tell by your face that you're feeling lost." Ruby said as she grabbed Weiss's hand like it wasn't doing devastating things to her mental health and pulled her inside her quiet little home.
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Weiss was sitting on a plush deep blue love couch. Across from her was Ruby, who sank into a very comfortable-looking chair as Noir settled onto her lap. Once they were comfortable, Ruby smiled and said. "So I've heard about Vytral. You're doing some good work up there, aren't you?"
"Um... yes," Weiss said as she nodded. "I-I'm very busy most days, so I don't have time for much else, but it's fulfilling work..."
An awkward tension began to worm its way into the space between them, but Noir wiggled in her seat, and it seemed to remind Ruby of why they had sat down. "Right, I need to tell you about Noir. Blake and Yang know already since we talked about it after it had happened."
Weiss winced, and Ruby seemed to have realized her wording. "Sorry. Um, let me just get to the story."
Weiss nodded, and Ruby took a deep breath as she pulled Noir closer. "I was out on a hunt, and you know the world is getting safer, but sometimes people push too far out. They take too many risks, and it bites them."
Ruby sighed, and Weiss hated seeing the hurt in her leader's eyes. "I found one of those towns. They'd pushed too far south and couldn't get a message out in time."
Noir squirmed as Ruby hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head between her wolf ears. "I found Noir in the rubble of a house. She was just a baby. It was luck or maybe a group effort that kept her alive. I saw her eyes and knew I couldn't just leave her with anyone else. I took her in, and I've been doing my best to raise her right. She's a little bundle of energy. Honestly, I'm starting to realize how much trouble I probably gave Yang and my dad when I was little."
Weiss felt like trash. She felt worse than trash for feeling bad about Ruby having a family. Her partner was the best person in the world, and she could see how happy Ruby looked as she hugged her daughter and kissed her head until Noir started to complain about the affection. Weiss couldn't even remember the last time Ruby looked this content and happy. After their time in the Ever After and during the rest of the war, Ruby's mental state had risen and fallen, but it never got as bad as it was in the Ever After or as good as it was back when they were in Beacon. Before Weiss had confessed, they would talk from time to time, and Weiss knew Ruby wasn't doing great, but she was managing, and then Weiss stopped talking to her, and after all this time, she came back and actually felt bad seeing how good Ruby was doing without her.
Weiss shook the thoughts away. That wasn't what was happening here. Ruby wasn't happy that Weiss had cut contact. Yang had told her as much. Ruby was happy because Noir brought happiness to her life, and Weiss should be glad about that.
"You're amazing."
Ruby's cheeks flushed as she laughed nervously. "T-thanks. It's all thanks to Noir, though. I've learned a lot about myself and found some happiness and purpose outside of just finishing the fight."
"I-I'm glad that you found her," Weiss said as she smiled at the young girl who was starting to doze off in her mother's lap. "You, um... look a lot better than the last time I saw you."
Ruby's smile dimmed, and her eyes avoided looking right at Weiss. "I- yeah... you, um, look good too."
A heat rapidly shot up Weiss's neck before she could temper her emotions. She knew Ruby didn't mean it like that, but the blush on Ruby's face that she was sure matched her own tempted her to think differently.
"Ah, um, I just mean. Well, you know you look like you're sleeping better, a-and I like how you cut your hair. I never thought I'd see the Ice Queen with short hair."
Weiss looked away as her hand reached up and ran through her hair which stopped just after her ears. "I got tired of taking care of it so much. I-It felt like time for a change. I'm still not totally sure about it, though."
"I think it looks great on you," Ruby said as she stood up and adjusted her grip on Noir. "I was preparing some lunch, but it looks like this one wants to sleep instead. After I put her in her room, I can make something for us."
"Oh, you don't have to go to the trouble-" Weiss was cut off as her stomach growled. She realized then that the last time she ate was at the airship docks. The food had been terrible, and so she hadn't even finished it.
Ruby chuckled, and as she walked towards the hall leading to the rest of the rooms, she said. "I also have some cookies as well. Still love chocolate chip?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Weiss said as she sat up a little straighter. While Ruby was widely known as a cookie-eating fiend, it was a well-kept secret between the two of them that Weiss could match her cookie for a cookie.
Ruby chuckled and winked as she said. "Just making sure you're still my partner."
Weiss slumped in her seat when Ruby walked away and briefly considered curling up on the couch and screaming into the cushions. There were four days until Yang and Blake arrived. How was she going to survive?