Work Text:
It should’ve been any other normal day for Ruby. Just another job.
Her car made its way down the long driveway of the Schnee mansion, inching closer towards the enormous estate located in the quiet suburbs of Atlas. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t exactly her car. It was Yang’s bright yellow sports car because of course she accidentally crashed hers last week—she didn’t see that lamp post okay?
The car pulled up towards the intercom system. Ruby buzzed in. There was a brief moment of silence before a static voice spoke.
“Name?”
“Uh, Ruby Rose. I’m here for the house renovations.”
A pause. Then the iron gates screeched open, hiding itself into the white brick walls which traced the outline of the land.
Geez. That’s a little excessive —she internally huffed, getting back into the car. But that was the least of it. As she drove through towards the house, she was met with a variety of brightly coloured flowers lining the cobblestone driveway. Ruby noticed trimmed rose bushes by the front yard, and a small gazebo located in the middle.
Pulling her gaze from the surrounding environment, she pulled up by the front door, one that was ornate and built from dark wood and etched with intricate carvings. She quickly fetched her belongings—her antique satchel passed down from her dad and her suitcases filled with her gear.
Ruby knocked.
A wave of anticipation and nervousness washed over her.
A petite yet imposing woman stood by the doorway, one hand on the doorknob and the other on her hip. She was dressed elegantly in a beautiful white gown, the lace and sheer fabric showing just a hint of her pale skin. The shimmer of the fabric perfectly mimicked the shade of her hair which was tied up into a ponytail with a loose ribbon.
Ruby thought she looked like a princess. Until she opened her mouth.
“God, finally,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “Took you long enough.”
Ruby glanced down at her phone. It’s like 9:01AM. She’s only a minute late. Look, she could be late sometimes for work but she made sure that she was never late for any appointment in Atlas. Because rich people complain the most .
Weiss led her inside and down the hallway. It was adorned with multiple family portraits, all framed in gold. Every family member looked identical. Well, they were definitely related.
“Sorry…?” her voice hitched as if it was a question.
The other woman huffed. “It’s Weiss.”
“Okay, sorry Weiss. The traffic was bad in Mantle today,”
Weiss stopped in her tracks. They stood there, frozen, in the wide hallway. Ruby scrunched up her toes, feeling the soft carpet through her boots.
“Mantle?” she narrowed her eyes. “I suppose that’s what I’d expect from the working class.”
Ruby scoffed. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I just mean Mantle is, you know, Mantle ,” Weiss gestured wildly. “It’s not exactly upper class there.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Argh, just forget I said anything,” she kept walking. Ruby trailed behind her, feeling the urge to keep arguing but stopping herself from doing so. It wasn’t worth it. Plus, this was just a job for her. She didn’t want to lose out on this opportunity. “Here it is.”
She opened the door to reveal a vast and lavish space. Large, pearl-coloured stairs led down to a large lap pool in the centre. Large windows allowed the sunlight to stream in and illuminate the room with a warm, natural glow. Tucked away in the corner was a sauna made of elegant wood with plush seating. Then, a spa bubbling away next to it.
Ruby’s jaw dropped.
Weiss smirked. “You don’t see this in Mantle.”
She moaned in response. “By the way, I don't live in Mantle. I was visiting a friend who works for the police. I’m sure you would know that since your sister works with her.”
“How do you know about Winter?” Weiss asked in genuine shock.
“Who doesn’t?”
Truth be told, it’s because Ruby’s sister’s girlfriend did a quick Google Search last night. But still, the point still stood.
“Well, I suppose that the Schnee name is quite famous,” she admitted, though it was laced with an air of cockiness.
“Infamous, I agree,” Okay, some on, back to work. Back to making that money . “So, I was told we needed to…”
“Ah yes,” they walked down the set of stairs. “My mother and father mentioned they wanted to replace the light fixtures on the walls.”
Ruby took a moment to look at the bare lights before rummaging through her bag and pulling out a blueprint. It was the graphics that she received from the architects a few weeks earlier; presumably the ones that the Schnees specifically asked for during the deliberation process.
“This is the design I received,” she explained, Weiss leaning over her shoulder. She examined the intricate illustration—it was a swirling pattern that resembled a Nautilus shell.
“That’s perfect,” just like what her parents would like . “Now with the colours…”
“Ah yes,” Ruby gently placed down her cases and unzipped them, revealing the replicas inside, wrapped up in mountains of bubble wrap. She uncovered the inside, revealing the light blues and white swirls etched into the glass, topped with silver accents. “This is what I received from the manufacturers.”
“That’s…” Weiss took it into her hands. She loved the feel of the cool, thick glass. “...perfect.”
Ruby beamed. “Good. Let me get started.”
She began unpacking all of her gear, setting aside the glass and putting down a toolbox. Weiss inched back, watching from a step away. She pressed her lips from the awkwardness.
“I apologise for being a bitch earlier,” she suddenly spurted.
Ruby blinked, unsure of what to say next.
“I should be nicer…” she began. “I-I just really like this pool and changing this room was my selfish idea so I should probably go along with you and your ideas because I want this place to look nice,” Weiss’s face burned with embarrassment, immediately recoiling.
But Ruby continued to smile, if anything, smiling even wider. “I agree! I will try to make your dream pool come true.”
“So, how long is it going to take?”
“Um,” she stared around the room, noting how long the wall spanned out. “A couple of hours.”
“Hours?!”
“Yeah, well, it’s a huge space and I need to cover every single one of these lights,” Weiss groaned at her response. “Well you don’t have to be here.”
“Well, someone has to make sure you don’t do it wrong,”
“I thought you were going to be nicer,” she joked.
Weiss huffed. “I never said I’d trust you.”
“That’s a good point,” she grabbed the first one out of the suitcase, placing it against the light to make sure it fits. It was perfect . “But you can keep talking. It kind of helps me…concentrate.”
“How? Whatever ,” Weiss brushed off. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Tell me about your family,” Ruby said nonchalantly, her eyes fixated on the lights.
Weiss pumped out her chest, a smirk stretched over her lips, “Well, we Schnees are a well-known family. Of course, known for our—”
“No, no I mean normal stuff. Like, how many siblings do you have?”
“Two. You know Winter. And I also have a younger brother,”
“Do you get along?”
She scoffed. “Me and Whitley? No. He’s annoying. I love Winter though. She’s amazing. So strong and elegant. Really really… cool . I want to be just like her one day.”
Ruby grinned. “I get it! I have a really cool uncle, uncle Qrow. He’s like the coolest, most awesomest person ever!”
“How so?”
“He’s just a general badass,” Ruby explained. “He taught me how to fix cars when I was little. He also travelled all around the world and he’s seen everything and anything.”
“Do you go with him? There’s no point in bragging if he doesn’t bring you along,”
“I’m not bragging, I’m gushing . There’s a difference,” he huffed. “And no. I’m never allowed to go.”
“Why?”
“I have a job. I have responsibilities. Also it costs money,” she gave a painful laugh. “My sister and her girlfriend just came back from Dormir though.”
Weiss rolled her eyes. “So where
have
you gone?”
“Nowhere,” she shrugged casually. “Where have you gone?”
“Everywhere. Like literally everywhere,”
“Where was your favourite place then?”
“Well,” she tapped her finger against her chin. Ruby noticed how perfectly shaped her french tips were. “My parents like Essen.”
“Yeah but what about you?”
She sighed. “Honestly I don’t know. I guess I liked Crossed. No one really talks about it but I personally loved it.”
“It must be amazing then,”
“Absolutely! Crossed is amazing! The architecture—god the architecture—it was like each building was blending into the next in this beautiful and mesmerising way. The city itself was a vibrant and lively place, with friendly people and countless activities to explore, from shopping at the local markets to taking a relaxing stroll along the beach.”
“Must’ve been a good family trip then!”
“Well…” her voice faltered to a mutter. “It was just me actually.”
“Oh you go solo travelling then?”
“No…” her harsh expression melted to a slight chuckle. “I ended up running away to Crossed for a few days.”
“No way!”
Weiss laughed again. “They were being annoying so I just ran away for a little bit.”
“Were they mad?”
“So mad!”
They shared a chortle. Weiss’s smile didn’t leave her lips. “Do you want lemonade?”
Ruby stared in slight disbelief. “Lemonade?”
“I-I can get one of the housekeepers to make some. It’s really good, I swear,”
“I can never say no to lemonade.”
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Ruby doesn’t even know how it happened. But before she knew it, she found herself with fresh squeezed lemonade in one hand, and her legs dangling into the pool with Weiss laughing her heart out next to her. This was definitely not the situation she thought she’d be in today.
“Wait, wait, wait,” the other girl snickered. “There’s no way you could’ve swung yourself off that tree.”
“I did!” Ruby preached. “I climbed that tree, jumped from branch to branch, swinging like a jungle monkey! And I did it all with ease! No slipping, no falling.”
“And all because you accidentally burned a bit of your sister’s hair?”
“She’s so scary!” her over the top voice made Weiss chuckle. “She is really charismatic and cool when you first meet her, but piss her off, and she gets mad . Like, mad mad. You would swear her eyes glow red. You’ll understand when you meet her.”
Weiss paused.
Ruby took a moment to realise what she just said. “Wait I mean—”
“No she seems really nice,” Weiss pressed her lips together. “I…I wouldn’t mind meeting her. Maybe. One day?”
Ruby’s expression brightened. “You’d love her. She gets along with everyone.”
“Little miss popular, huh?”
“100%,”
“Must be nice,”
“What do you mean? You’re kind of cool,”
“Kind of?”
“Really cool,” Ruby joked.
“That’s more like it,” she playfully elbowed her.
The handyman lowered her empty glass of lemonade to her side. “You’re actually really cool, though.”
The genuineness of her tone made Weiss amusingly flattered. “Is that right?”
“Yeah, for a rich person,” Ruby grabbed the last remaining light fixture from her luggage. She held it up, immediately noticing something wrong. It felt too light. She tossed it from hand to hand before holding it up against the last bare light. “This is wrong.”
“What?” Weiss’s friendly expression washed away in an instant as she rushed towards her.
“It’s wrong, it’s too small. It’s based on the measurements but for some reason this is—”
“Are you saying that my parents messed up?” she snapped.
Ruby shook her head, “No, no. This is just…wrong.”
“What do you need to do?”
“I need to contact the distributors and send me through another one,” she tossed the decoration aside.
“What?!” Weiss’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? That’s going to take forever!”
“I know one of the distributors so I can ask them to hurry up the process…hopefully.”
There was a pregnant pause between them.
Weiss cleared her throat. “So…does that mean you’ll be back again?”
“Yeah so…” Ruby whipped out her phone from her back pocket. “Could I get your number? Y-You know just to give you an update with like…”
“The light?”
“Yeah, the light fixture. Thing. Yeah, that,” her fingers were like butter as she scrambled to open up the contacts app for Weiss to fill out.
Weiss was just as awkward, her hands shaking a little as she pressed along the keys. “So how long, do you think?”
“Hopefully in two days?”
“Perfect! I mean, yeah. Okay,” she handed the phone back to her. “See you then?”
“See you then.”
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“No, no Jaune I need it ASAP. Please!”
Ruby’s shrieks filled up the small apartment. Thank God there was so much clutter to stop her high pitched screaming from bouncing along the walls.
Blake came over to her side, placing one of Yang’s mugs onto the coffee table. The steam from the green tea swirled up, resembling the intricate design of the light fixture Ruby was after.
She slumped back on the sofa, her laptop miraculously staying still on her lap. “Jaune. Please. It’s for a very special client.”
“Special client, huh?” Yang snorted to herself. Blake elbowed her waist. They took their place on the loveseat opposite of where Ruby was seated.
“ Really ?!” she perked up with a gasp. “Jaune you are a lifesaver! When will it be distributed? Tomorrow? Where at? Easy. Okay. I can do that,” she tapped on her computer, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder. “I’m in Vale with my sister at the moment so I can pick it up. Yes I know the client is in Atlas. I just ferry over with my car,” Yang pulled a face. “M-My sister’s car…so…tomorrow then? Yes! Thank you!”
The couple exchanged looks for a moment before Ruby finally got off the phone.
“So…” Yang started, sipping from her own mug. “How’s the job?”
Ruby groaned into her right palm, the left letting go of her phone. “I’m stressed but…” she cried jokingly. “...money…”
“Amen,” her sister chuckled.
Blake added with a sarcastic, “Isn’t that a mood. Especially in this economy.”
“Yeah, money is always worth it but if you’re stressed, maybe tell them. I mean you can’t expect this super extravagant light thing in like a day,”
“Yeah but Weiss would never let me get away with it,”
“Weiss?” she raised her eyebrow.
“Yeah the client. Well, the daughter of the clients. She’s someone I talked to like, through the entirety of my shift,”
“And the one who you’ve been texting this entire time?” Blake asked, pointing at her buzzing phone.
Ruby embarrassingly clutched it to her chest. “It’s the…news?”
“Ruby, you do not watch the news. I literally caught you watching cartoons at 6pm today,” Yang quipped. Ruby pouted. “So is it this mystery girl?”
“Look, we met and we kind of bonded and we’re sort of friends now I guess,” she shrugged. “Also I gave her my number so of course she’s going to—”
“You gave her your number!?” the girlfriends exclaimed in unison.
Yang yelped, “So you’re trying to flirt with her, huh?”
“What? No! T-That’s not professional. I’m keeping strictly professional,” Ruby combated, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Is she pretty?”
“I don’t know!”
“She is,” Blake answered for her, turning her phone around to reveal her Google Search.
Yang looked over her shoulder and scrolled down to the Schnee Wikipedia page. “And rich. I say you hit it.”
“No Yang,”
“At least flirt a bit,”
“No Yang,”
Blake snickered, “How would Ruby flirt anyway? It’s Ruby.”
“Okay rude. But it’s a no anyways so—”
Yang interjected. “Well she’d have to rehearse a good line. Like ‘Excuse me Weiss, but I think you dropped something…my jaw! Huh?” she looked around for approval but she only received shaking heads. “What? That’s so good!”
Blake shook her head. “No Yang.”
Ruby chimed in. “Yeah Yang that sucked.”
Blake continued, “It should be related to lights.”
“What—”
“You’re right!” Yang exclaimed, clearing her throat and pulling an over-the-top cheesy grin. “Are you a lightbulb? Because you just brightened up my day.”
Blake clapped while Ruby just grumbled into her hand.
“That was good,” her girlfriend encouraged.
“No it wasn’t,”
“Come on Ruby,” Yang drew out. “Just give it a chance. I’m sure she'll love it.”
“No. Yang.”
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Ruby pulled up by the now-familiar Schnee mansion, the final light fixture in hand. She knocked by the door and was instantly greeted by a sheepish Weiss who was trying to contain her smile.
“You’re finally here,” she tried to say in a cocky voice that quickly melted into a genuine snicker. “Come in.”
When she opened the door wider, she revealed her knitted body-con white dress that was just a tad bit too short; one with an off shoulder design and a black belt that cinched in at her waist. Ruby's mouth opened but she quickly pressed them together.
“I-I uh,” she closed her eyes to concentrate. “I was able to get this,” she showed the light fixture. “Thing. Yes. I got it. I begged over the phone and—”
“Oh, yeah thanks for that,” she said casually. “So are you coming in…or…?”
“Yes! Yes I am.”
Weiss guided her to the inside pool. Ruby instantly spotted the last bare light in the corner and got to work, her client close to her.
“So…how did you get here today? Are you staying with your friend in Mantle?” Weiss asked.
“Oh nah, I stayed with my sister. Penny always got up so early for work and I felt bad for crashing for too long,” she admitted.
“So is Penny like…you know,” she gestured. Ruby just stared at her with confusion. “Like a partner? Girlfriend?”
She didn’t mean to, but she laughed. “Oh no. She’s very very sweet but we’re friends. Best friends. Pretty sure she might be Aroace. Yet to find out about that.”
“Oh, okay,” her voice went quiet. “I was just wondering.”
Why? Why are you asking? Do you like me? Because I think I might like you. You’re cute after all. Do you think I’m cute?
“Ruby?”
She found herself staring into the wall. Oops .
“Sorry, yeah,” she quickly tried to find something to talk about. “What about you? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? You know, do you have one?”
Smooth one Ruby. Yang definitely got all the suave genes .
“Nope no girlfriend right now,” she answered timidly. Do you want one? Because— “I like the idea of it though. The commitment part sounds kind of exhausting.”
Her chest deflated. “What about it?”
“Well, to be honest,” she slumped to the ground, letting her guard down. “I’m committed to so many things. I’m at uni, I’m in a few clubs, I’m doing an internship right now. Also my family hosts so many events so I never really have free time. I mean, technically I should be studying right now.”
“So you like keeping yourself busy?”
“No,” she snorted. “Sometimes, yes. For example, I love uni and I love my ice-skating club but god I hate the internship I’m doing. The bosses are incredibly rude and I wish I could give them a piece of my mind.”
“Why do you do it then?”
“My parents. It’s one of their close connections and they think it’s a good idea for me to work there. You know, to represent the Schnees,”
“Sounds like you hate it,”
“Very much so,”
Ruby lowered her screwdriver to her side. “Sounds like you’d hate the Schnee events too.”
“Oh I do!” she expressed, relief lining each word. “I just hate them! I hate the long dresses that get stuck underneath my heels, I hate the stupid little finger foods I would rather have something actually substantial, and I hate hate hate the people. They’re always too pretentious and stuck up. I just feel so stuck all the time. Like I don’t have any breathing room.”
Weiss found herself rambling and stopped, feeling the embarrassment creep up to her face. She brought her fingers to her lips, but before she could say anything, Ruby replied with a tad of awe. “It’s the expectations, right? That’s what you hate. The expectation to be perfect all the time.”
“...yeah…”
“I get it,”
“Do you?”
“I mean it’s not exactly the same but yeah, kind of. Expectations are really hard,” Ruby tapped the empty spot next to her, and Weiss reluctantly agreed to sit. “My mom passed away when I was really little,” before the other girl could express her condolences, she kept talking. “And she was perfect. She was so nurturing, caring and just this lovely person that made everyone’s life better. Everyone says we look exactly alike but I feel like I’ll never live up to her.”
“Oh Ruby…”
“I try my best, especially at work. I’m trying to be a good person in every aspect of my life but whenever my dad or family friends or even my sister Yang tells me I’m just like my mom, my heart drops. Because I don’t think I’m nearly as good as her,”
“Well, I don’t know who she was,” Weiss began, her hand inching closer to Ruby’s lap. “But, I think you’re pretty great.”
That’s when Ruby started really taking in her face for the first time. The roundness of her cheeks. Her bright eyes. How long her eyelashes were. The pout to her lips. She gulped.
“A-Are you a bright lightbulb?”
“What?”
“A lightbulb,”
“...are you asking if I’m a lightbulb?”
“Uh…”
Weiss bursted out into laughter. Ruby snickered along with her.
“Was that supposed to be a pick up line?”
“Yes?” they kept laughing in unison. “This is probably why I don’t have a girlfriend, huh?”
“Probably!”
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Ruby wiped a sweat from her forehead, giving a small sigh as she did so. She pushed down on her knees to get up and faced the final light fixture. Thank God. It fitted perfectly . She always felt a sense of relief when she finished her job, but she weirdly felt a bit of hesitance this time.
“A-Actually,” Weiss filled the empty air with her voice. Ruby faced her in confusion. “I need a new light in my room.”
She instantly brightened, “Yeah?”
“Yes! I really need a new…chandelier?”
“How big is your room?”
“Well…I can show you.”
Ruby was semi-excited to see her room. Not like that, no. Well maybe not. No. No. Let’s not say that because this is professional. Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be professional. No, no it’s professional . While a million words raced through her mind, she realised she had walked down two corridors and a giant flight of stairs to find herself at the foot of Weiss’s room. Her bedroom door was adorned with a lacey, flowery pattern etched into the doorframe. She grabbed the golden doorknob and pushed open to reveal a perfectly crafted room inside.
Ruby didn’t really know what to picture but it somehow surpassed that. A king-sized bed with silk pure white bedsheets; a canopy cascading down on top of it. A walk-in closet behind sliding mirrors. Plush loveseats on the side of the room. An entire wall covered in bookshelves. An entire tea station right made up of only fine china. And it was all spaced out in a large, spacious room with literal dancing space.
She blinked then inhaled sharply. “Uh so…lights…?”
“Yes! Maybe a chandelier up here?” she pointed directly above them.
“Hmm, how big do you want it? I’m just trying to avoid something that hits this bookshelf,” Ruby said. She pictured a glass feature in the shape of teardrops and snowflakes; almost like a falling and trickling pattern to mimic her silver wallpaper.
“Nothing too big and fancy. I just want something to brighten up the room a bit?”
“I can ask for a slight warm tint? They can do a subtle colouring for the glass,”
“Ooh I love that idea,” she smiled, her eyes squinting a little while she imagined the design. “It’ll be good to do something new.”
“Something new, huh?” Ruby hummed. Okay, so the pick-up line didn’t work but— she cleared her throat. “Have you ever tried that Italian restaurant down the street? The one that’s like 15 minutes from here.”
Weiss blinked at her. The moment of hesitation made Ruby question everything. Until Weiss grinned. “No I haven’t, always wanted to try.” That was a lie. She literally didn’t know what Ruby was talking about.
“Well I took note of it when I was driving here and I swear it’s the one my sister sent me the other day. Do you want to try it with me?”
“Of course! I mean, yes. That sounds lovely, yes,” she tried to calm herself down, biting down on her bottom lip to contain her smile.
“Saturday, 6:30?”
“I’ll pick you up,”
“Well you know where I’ll be.”
They laughed.
God that line was lame— Weiss cringed, mentally slapping herself in the face.
Man that line was so good —Ruby mentally cursed herself out from the lack of suave pick-up lines.
Weiss guided her to the door, lining herself up by the foot of Ruby’s car door as she hopped in. “So I’ll give you a few designs from the distributors tonight?”
“Sounds perfect.”
She rolled down the driveway and turned left onto the road. Using her free hand, she scrambled through her tote bag to retrieve her phone. She quickly messaged Yang with her free hand.
RHUBARB: coming home now
RHUBARB: do you want me to pick up dinner?
A bit of a wait. Yang typed back.
BEST SISTER EVAAA: Yes
BEST SISTER EVAAA: pizza plz
Ruby shoved her phone in her pocket but it buzzed again.
BEST SISTER EVAAA: nvm
BEST SISTER EVAAA: Blake says she wants Indian.
RHUBARB: fine i’ll get Indian
BEST SISTER EVAAA: thx
BEST SISTER EVAAA: did the pick-up line work btw? ;)
Ruby groaned.
RHUBARB: god no
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“What about this top? With…this yellow skirt thing?”
“No no this is a date at an Italian restaurant! It has to be flirty. Like this red dress.”
Ruby sat, crossed legged, at the foot of Yang and Blake’s queen bed as she watched them lightly bicker over her clothes. An entire pile of rejected clothes sat by her right side, and her phone sat by her left. The moment it buzzed, she picked it up. Her reflexes were always fast but it had been quicker ever since Weiss got her number.
WEISS sent you a message
Ruby unlocked it. She smiled. It was another picture of the restaurant they were going to in a day’s time. This time, of a creamy carbonara with a cracked egg on top.
WEISS: I really want to try this today.
RUBY is typing…
“Oi, Ruby,” Yang yelled. She peered up from her phone. “Is this seriously all you brought?”
“Yeah. Going on a fancy date wasn’t exactly part of my plan for this job,” she shrugged. “I guess I could ask my roommates to send stuff over.”
“There’s no time,” Blake shook her head. “Wait, I have this top that might fit you.”
“I don’t know if Ruby can fill it out as well as you do,” Yang jabbed.
“Hey!” her younger sister snarled.
RUBY: do you think there’s lasagna
RUBY: i really want lasagna
WEISS: It’s Italian so I’m sure there’s lasagna
When she glanced up, Blake shoved a black, lace halter in front of her; one with a sweetheart neckline and slightly cropped.
“That’s really pretty,” Ruby took it into her hands.
“I know, there’s matching sleeves that go on with it too,” she whipped out matching long sleeves that had the same lacey pattern along the sides. “It’s a bitch to get on though. Yang always helps me put it on.”
“And take it off,” Yang added with a wink. Only Blake laughed at that one.
Ruby coughed. “Well, I think the black top goes perfectly with this maroon skirt.”
So it was set—a black halter, A-line skirt with black ankle boots and a loose cardigan just in case it got cold. Then everything was topped off with Yang blow drying her hair to perfection and placing a golden, rose-shaped pin to tuck away her loose flyaways.
She was showered with compliments and words of affirmation as she stepped into the car and drove off. Ruby went over and over the lines she would say—going over conversations that might or might not happen, either way she needs to come across confident and knowledgeable. Not nervous and nauseous. Yeah, don’t tell her that one .
She passed by a florist, picked some white roses she spotted in the window, and everything was set. This was going to be perfect. It has to be perfect.
By the time she pulled up by Weiss’s mansion, she was already waiting outside. Her posture was abnormally straight and her feet were perfectly placed together and perpendicular to the street. Maybe she was just as nervous . She was dressed in a silky knee-length dress that was embroidered with intricate patterns resembling snowflakes. Her high heels looked like they were made of pure glass.
When she saw the bright yellow car, she instantly brightened. Ruby unlocked the door so Weiss could hop in.
“Good evening,” Weiss smiled over.
Ruby gulped. Say something . “G-Good—oh! I got you this.”
She plucked the white bouquet from the backseat. Weiss gasped.
“You got these for me?”
“Of course! Unless you don’t like them…?”
“I love them!” she leaned over to smell the subtly sweet fragrance. “These are beautiful. Thank you Ruby.”
God that smile was everything . They mirrored each other’s slight pink hue over their cheeks.
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The interior of the restaurant was done in a classic Italian decor, complete with a large, curved bar covered in marble slabs, plush velvet seats, and an abundant assortment of elegant furniture and decorations. The walls were lined with paintings of idyllic countryside scenes and a large window revealed the street outside, offering a glimpse of the bustling streets of the city. The atmosphere was elegant and refined; perfect for Weiss but maybe too much for Ruby.
Ruby chugged down her entire glass of water. She closed her eyes for a second and let an admission slip her lips so she could destress. “I haven’t really…dated anyone before. So I guess this is my first date.”
Weiss sipped on her glass. “That’s okay. I haven’t dated much either. We can figure this thing out together.”
They shared grins. “Basically all my experience is from my sister actually. She’s dated around a bit.”
“Mmm you mentioned her before. What’s her name?”
“Yang,”
“She has a girlfriend now too, right?”
“Yep, they’ve been together for like 5 years now. Geez, I just realised how long it’s been now,” she laughed to herself.
The waiter came to place their orders in front of them. A warm blend of pasta, cheese and creamy sauces instantly filled the air. Ruby’s mouth watered from the savoury lasagna in front of her, but she tried to stop herself from literally devouring everything. It was a classy occasion after all.
Weiss twirled her fork in her carbonara. “Do you think they’ll get married?”
“Honestly yeah, I do,” Ruby took a small corner piece off her food. “I overheard them talking about venues the other day.”
“Where are they thinking?”
“Maybe the beach? Since Blake is originally from Menagerie,”
“Wouldn’t the sand get everywhere though?”
“Exactly!” Ruby replied, her words muffled with lasagna. “Imagine having to walk down the aisle in literal sand. Imagine falling!”
Weiss laughed, “That would be so embarrassing! Also you can’t even wear cute heels on your wedding day. Heels complete the outfit. It’s a necessity.”
“What’s your dream wedding then?”
She thought about it for a moment, “I want it to be elegant and classy. Maybe at like a ballroom or something, with sparkling decor and beautiful details. I want everything refined and beautiful; traditional but still sleek. But not too flashy and not too many people. I just want the people who are important to me there.”
Ruby hummed.
“What about you Ruby?”
“Honestly I have no idea,” she blew over the steam from her food. “I always wanted something really relaxed and casual but the more I think about Yang and Blake’s wedding, it makes me realise I want something special because you only get to do it once. I do want it to still be happy and fun and I want lots of dancing. Oh and with a good DJ.”
“A good DJ is a must,”
“Right? But anyways, I don’t really mind where it is but I want there to be good food and lots of laughter. I always just assumed my partner would choose the rest,” she chuckled.
Weiss nodded, “Okay so what about kids? Do you think Yang and her girlfriend will have kids in the future?”
“Mmm, maybe. I haven’t heard them say anything but,” she pondered for a second. “I imagine they’ll adopt one. They’d be good moms too.”
“What about you? Do you want any?”
“Yep! I’m hoping for two,”
“Oh I agree 100%,”
“Yeah?”
Weiss gave a big nod. “100%, it’s the perfect number. Not too many but not too little. Maybe spaced out in age so we’re not having to look after them for 10 years straight.”
“We?”
She paused. They shared looks for a moment. Ruby, slightly hopeful, while Weiss was terrified.
“Wait, wait sorry that probably came out so wrong. Was that too much? Like it’s our first day and I’m talking about marriage and kids and—”
“No, no I think it’s important to talk about. We need to agree on these things if we want to be together long term, right?”
Weiss gave a deep, satisfied sigh into a smile. “Right.”
“Okay well slight change of topic,” Ruby took another bite. “What about your plans for the future? Like when you graduate uni, what are your plans?”
“Probably work for my parents company,”
“The Schnee company?” she received a nod. “Is that your dream?”
She hesitated and bit down on her lip. “No one’s asked me that before,” Ruby gave her a bit of room to think her answer through. “...I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll start off at the company and see how I feel about it?”
“That’s a good start.”
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The evening air was cool but they didn’t even notice, too absorbed in each other’s presence. The streets were eerily quiet.
“Where did you park again?” Weiss asked, her breath fogging up in the cold air. Ruby took off her cardigan and placed it around Weiss’s slender frame. She tucked the bouquet towards her chest to not get it ruined from the outer.
A small chuckle escaped Ruby's lips as her eyes glinted with some amusement. “I forgot.”
“What?!” her shriek echoed through the streets.
Her embarrassment made Ruby roar out into a belly laugh. “I’m messing with you Weiss! It’s like two blocks down, remember? In front of that jewellery store.”
“Oh yeah, the one with that big diamond ring propped up at the front,”
“Well I don’t remember that part but, I’m guessing you like diamond rings then, right?”
Weiss giggled. “Did I make that too obvious?”
“Who says I’m going to propose though? Maybe I’m expecting you to propose,”
She scoffed, “And who says I’ll say yes.”
“I’d have to convince you then,” Ruby mentally hooray-ed from her confident and flirty lines. Luckily, she had gone over these lines before the date.
“And how are you going to convince me?” Weiss felt the heat of her body begin to rise, her cheeks growing warmer as she continued trying to maintain her composure.
Ruby leaned over and kissed her, pulling her into a deep embrace. They both get lost in the moment. Their breathing becomes heavier, and their hearts hammer in their chests as the passion continues to build between them.
Weiss feels herself getting lost in the feeling, and it's hard to contain her enjoyment of the kiss. Her cheeks grow rosier, and she feels her own desire growing, not caring how much she blushes.
When they parted, they both let out a gasp for air, realising they've been holding their breath. The rush of the kiss and the intensity of the moment hit them both like a wave, making Ruby feel lightheaded and Weiss' skin warm.
“Yep…that convinced me,”
“God, you’re adorable.”
Ruby leaned again to kiss her.