They walked back to their dorm in a comfortable silence. The night air was cold and plentiful, scents of pine trees filling their noses and the taste of distant cooked nourishments on the tips of tongues. Beacon was silent for the most part, as most students made home in the large, echoing hall. The Beacon Academy dance was something that everyone would remember, a tender memory before disaster would begin to occur, unbeknownst to them.
And for Weiss, it was more than that. A time where she let her walls come down.
The white haired girl let herself be a cautious metre away from her partner. Ruby walked next to her slowly, the clicking of her comically large heels filling her ears. They were heading back to recollect themselves, study (or in Ruby's case, sleep) and wind down. Weiss, a few minutes prior to their current situation, had stepped in and interrupted a dance between Ruby and an obnoxiously cocky man. His shaggy brown hair was quite similarly styled like Ruby's, only hers actually looked nice, while the man's hair had been greasy and violently pulled around. Weiss saw him constantly overstepping her partner's boundaries, and the whispers of people around her calling them 'cute together' made an unknown state of vexation unleash from inside of her.
"Thank you again for earlier, Weiss." A quiet squeak came from next to Weiss, it was Ruby. The heiress turned her head to see the small brunette was walking with her head down, clutching her left arm with her right hand stiffly. The concrete path ahead of them stretched on for what seemed like miles, when in reality it was coming to a sudden end within a few metres of them.
"It's fine, Ruby. I just wish some people knew proper manners. That boy was horrifically rude! His dancing was quite substandard, it was appalling to witness."
Ruby snorted at her partner's remark. "Well, I can barely walk in a straight line, so he was doing better than me."
Weiss furrowed her brows at Ruby as they finally approached their dorm, the long carpeted hallway had a home-like feeling to it. The Schnee girl didn't quite know how to reply to that comment. In a way it was true, her younger partner definitely could not dance well to save her life, but there was an odd charm to her.
And that charm as of recently was slowly oozing into her head. Something about Ruby made Weiss feel... strange. She didn't know if she hated it or adored it.
Weiss was in no way an overly affectionate person. She never let herself be overly expressive or 'childish' looking in front of others, due to years of training and mental bashing from her presumptuous father. It was something she used to pride herself in, being able to constantly look overly confident and professional, but as she got closer to her team over the past six month period, the heiress had begun to realise that it had its downsides. She had missed out on core loving moments all throughout her childhood, and never really got to be a kid. Ruby had helped her realise this.
From her loving relationship with her sister, Yang, to her protective friendship with Blake, to the way she treated everyone with such a bubbly attitude and wide, awkward smile, to the way she boldly always entered Weiss' fragile boundaries and hugged and clung to her and comforted her like she was family. It all made Ruby who she was. Even if her aspirations were slightly far fetched, it had a charming effect that kept everyone hopeful. She was a leader.
A charmful leader. So as they stood outside the door to their rooms, Weiss felt herself snap her head to look at her partner once more. The small girl had been growing more toned with the more training they did, that fact imminent in her pale arms, but her baby face and shy posture still shone through. Ruby's usually wild hair was styled nicely, but still put in a way where it screamed it was her. She was rubbing her arms awkwardly, waiting for Weiss to open the door. The heiress admired the sight for a second.
"Ruby," She began in her usual sharp tone, causing the brunette to look up at her questioningly, 'Did you enjoy tonight?" The snow haired girl opened the door and let herself throw her keys on her desk haphazardly.
"Uh-" Ruby tossed her shoes off immediately and ruffled her hair until she was comfortable with it again, "I suppose so. We worked hard on setting it up, I witnessed Jaune wearing a dress and Yang and Blake danced and got very close tonight. Everyone had fun."
Weiss hummed to herself in thought. "Did you get to dance properly?" She was genuinely curious, as she always was. She knew Ruby had been by the punch bowl most the night.
"Apart from being asked by that guy... no, not really. But it's okay! I don't mind. Wait... I have an idea!" A mischievous grin formed on Ruby's face as she ran to the bathroom suddenly with a set amount of folded clothes in her hand.
Weiss shook her head in disbelief at the girl's animated nature and sat on her bed calmly, slipping off her shoes and making her way over to a nearby closet where a small shoe rack was placed on the floor beneath her hung clothes. The inside was nowhere near the size of the overly fancy ones the heiress had back home. The honey browns and carpeted bottom complimented the wooden floors of the room, and somehow she was starting to like the small space more than her ones at the Schnee mansion. She'd never say that to anyone, however.
Weiss then let herself check the time on her scroll. The time read around nine o'clock. Yang and Blake most likely would still be gone for a few hours, and would be packing up a few things once everyone left the premises of the hall. That meant she could squeeze in an hour of reading and hopefully get to bed an adequate time without any disturbances. Weiss grabbed a nightgown from her drawer and placed it on the end of her neatly made bed.
But before the heiress could even sit back down again, Ruby practically bursted through the bathroom door of their dorm room, scroll in hand, an excited toothy smile beginning to appear on her face. The site made Weiss raise a concerned brow.
"What have you done now, Ruby Rose?" Weiss huffed, shaking her head again with a slightly smile etched on the edges of her lips.
Then, an absurd sound erupted from Ruby's scroll. It was... a song.
"Ruby, what're you doing?" Weiss asked in a concerned tone. She stood with her hands on her hips, her bare feet against the cold wooden flooring. The white haired girl was still in her dress, while Ruby stood there proudly in her rose pyjamas. She looked... cute, Weiss had to admit. She was incredibly cute.
The song was 'Since U Been Gone', by Kelly Clarkson. Sadly, the heiress recognised it almost immediately. The genre wasn't her preferred music taste, per se, but after many training sessions with Yang's obnoxious tunes playing in the background, she had grown a soft spot for a few of the songs. Ruby had caught her humming a few of the tunes of a morning, this song being one of them.
"Dancing, duh!" The brunette giggled loudly, beginning to bop her head energetically, tapping her foot on the ground rhythmically. She began to spin in circles wildly, almost taking out the very unstable bed bunk situation they had going on in the corners of the room, just missing the stack of Blake's books wedged to hold up the frames.
"I don't know if I would call that dancing." Weiss grimaced. She was indeed holding back a smile, trying not to also move her head along to the music. It was amusing just to watch her partner tornado chaotically around the room.
"Oh come on! Loosen up Princess! I know you wanna dance too!" Ruby shouted with a smile, shaking her chest from side to side and shuffling over to her partner who stood awkwardly in the centre of the room in amazement.
"Oh, Ruby I don't think this is a good idea-"
"Shhhh! Just dance with me idiot! Please!" Ruby pleaded and hit her partner playfully on the shoulder and spun around again, letting her arms and legs flail wherever they pleased.
Weiss feigned grumpiness, rolling her eyes, but began to tap her foot on the ground to the rhythm and count of the song anyways, nodding her head appreciatively and closing her eyes.
"I really am not enjoying this. I could be doing anything else at the moment Ruby. Like studying, or-" Weiss' fake plea was cut off.
"Please dance with me. It'll make you feel good, I promise!"
The two were alone. Weiss had always longed to let loose and have fun, and Ruby saw through her facade better than anyone else, knowing that Weiss always waited until other people invited her and reassured her it was okay. Weiss knew the effect her partner had on her, and it both scared her and made her feel welcomed for the first time in her life. She truly had a friend. A skillful fighter, a good listener and a bubbly optimist.
The music began to build up and Ruby made eye contact with her partner. Weiss looked down slightly at the younger girl and let herself finally smile widely, shaking her head playfully. She moved her hips from side to side faintly and watched as Ruby suddenly grabbed her wrists as the chorus approached. She prepared for some type of build up, and Weiss caught on to what was happening.
"But since you been gone I can breathe for the first time. I'm so moving on, yeah, yeah!"
The two of them screamed the lyrics at the same time, laughter filling the air like oxygen. Weiss let herself bounce up and down with Ruby and let loose. It was exhilarating, having fun without anyone there to judge her or bash her.
"You had your chance, you blew it. Out of sight, out of mind!" Weiss sang lazily, for once not caring about perfecting her tune. Ruby gazed at her in awe, admiring the heiress' evident talented singing.
They jumped around for what seemed like hours. Weiss, still awkward and stuck on what to do, copied Ruby's flaying movements and let herself close her eyes and take in the moment. She was still slightly restricting herself, partly out of embarrassment. Ruby saw this and an idea sparked inside of her.
"Weiss! Spin me!" The snow haired girl snapped her eyes open and saw Ruby coming at her at an alarming speed. Even without her semblance, the little red was difficult to keep up with. Even Weiss struggled to match her in matches on occasion when it came to speed.
Weiss caught her- barely supporting the poor brunette's weight- and felt Ruby's strong legs wrap around her waist. The feeling made her blush lightly at the contact. She shrugged that off however and spun her partner like requested, daring not to slip up and ruin the almost perfect moment.
It was then that she saw one of the purest sights she would ever witness in her life. Ruby let go of her grip on Weiss's shoulders and threw her hands in the air, letting a prolonged 'woo' sound escape her mouth in glee. Weiss let herself take in the rare memory, and found herself giggling deeply from the stomach, still spinning around like a slow rollercoaster ride.
Eventually she let her down, and Ruby's hands were back on her shoulders, their faces dangerously close. Weiss felt Ruby's breath hit her chin and flushed a red as deep as her partner's cloak.
"See? That wasn't so hard now was it? Haha!" Ruby then took one of Weiss hand's and spun herself around with a laugh.
Weiss, out of habit from formal dancing lessons, brought Ruby's backside into her front, holding both of their hands out in a practised form. The brunette's breath hitched suddenly at the contact.
"Sorry! That was out of habit, I'll let go if you-"
"No! I mean- no, it's okay. That was actually super smooth Weiss. I didn't know you could properly dance. Don't let go."
They swayed like that for a few silent seconds, and even as the song continued to play- that definitely did not match this style of dancing- they dared not to speak.
'You should know (You should know)
That I get
I get what I want.'
Then something erupted inside of Weiss. Her heart clenched in a way it never had before, and when Ruby leaned further into her it only deepened this feeling. The Schnee girl almost threw Ruby off of her, then realised that this feeling was not bad. It made her feel...warm, and safe.
Then, her partner spoke after a silence of so long. "Weiss, I like it when you smile."
The comment made the heiress speechless. She flushed a bright pink and found herself stuttering on her first words. "What-what is that supposed to mean?"
Ruby untangled them from their position and turned to face her partner. She grinned toothily again and got close to Weiss' face. The white haired girl wondered if Ruby was aware of her effect when she got that close. Ruby tilted her head to the side like a puppy.
"Well, you have a pretty smile! It's nice seeing you happy. I know you come from a very distant place and aren't the best at showing love. And even then- you still promised to be the best partner ever, and have lived up to that. So I want to repay you and try my hardest to make you smile!"
If Weiss thought she couldn't get any redder, she was proven wrong in that tender moment. She was speechless, and didn't know what to say.
"You- I- Ruby..."
"I mean it Weiss! Thank you for saving me tonight from that guy, and thank you for having fun with me. See, the 'Ice Queen' does have a heart after all! It's nice seeing you relaxed."
Weiss didn't say anything, she just slapped Ruby suddenly on the head and then engulfed her in an abrupt millisecond hug, before grabbing her pyjamas that lay on her bed and beelining for the bathroom in silence.
She heard Ruby squealing to herself from behind the bathroom door and forced herself to not roll her eyes playfully at the young girl. "Don't think about that too long, you dolt." She poked her head out and saw Ruby fist pumping the air.
"Am I dreaming? Did you just hug me voluntarily? Do it again, do it again!"
"No." Weiss deadpanned, crossing her arms in the doorway, letting the door open fully again.
"Pleaaaaase!" Ruby dragged on, pouting her bottom lip out and beginning to walk over to her tired partner.
"Annnnd nope." Weiss quickly shut the door once more, shaking her head and letting herself softly smile. The bathroom was a small but cosy space. Typically, Weiss liked baths more, but she had grown to tolerate and enjoy showers with the limited time they had at Beacon.
"Awe, man." She heard Ruby whine and shuffle over to her scroll to play another song that she typically listened to.
And so as Weiss let herself run the water of the shower, she realised that her partner truly would be the death of her. She never let Yang, Blake, or anyone touch her like that. Hell, she had never even done that with anyone before in her life.
She felt herself reflecting on the memories she had of Ruby's joyful face as the water warmed up, and realised that Ruby was an incredibly beautiful girl, and meant a lot to her.
Ruby was special, her first friend. Ruby made her heart flutter.
"Makes my... heart flutter?" Weiss mumbled to herself with widened eyes. And that's when she realised it. She had developed a crush on Ruby Rose.