What Defines Us - Chapter 48 - The End (Patreon)

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Hearing a familiar ringing from the center console, Weiss spared a glance at the screen to see who was calling.  When Yang’s picture popped into view, she jabbed the accept button before returning her gaze to the road.

“Hello Yang.”

“What’s up, Weiss??  Woah, you driving?”

“Heading home.”

“What’s the rush then?  Why did I have to call ‘right away?’”

Taking a deep breath, Weiss directed the vehicle around a corner while trying to find the proper words for what she wanted to say. 

“I don’t want to wait anymore,” she said slowly, calling upon the determination that swept over her mere minutes ago and had only grown in intensity since.  “I want to ask Ruby to marry me. Today. That is, if I still have your permission.”

Yang’s joyful laughter was an answer in itself - and Weiss felt immediately relieved while waiting for the teasing she knew was on the way.

“Holy Grimm - what were you gonna do if I said ‘no?’”

“I had more than a few backup plans - beginning with several means of bribery and continuing to vague threats.”

“Bribery? Damn.  I bet you were gonna offer something good too…”

“Can we get back to the important matter here?” Weiss asked as a spike of nerves trembled through her veins.  She was driving, which meant that every second Yang wasted with jokes brought Weiss closer to the home she shared with the love of her life. Which brought her closer to the conversation she knew she wanted to have but was scared out of her mind to have.

“Right right.  This is about you and Ruby, not the treasure chest of gold you were about to bribe me with to buy my little sister.”

“Yang.”  

Any annoyance Weiss felt disintegrated at the sound of Yang’s laughter.

“I’m so happy for you two!” Yang finally answered with some level of seriousness.  “And of course you still have my permission. I can’t wait for us to be sisters for real.”

They were practically sisters already, but Weiss understood the sentiment.  After everything they’d been through and everything they’d yet to go through, it would be incredible to be tied together by a label that ran deeper than ‘best friends’ or ‘teammates.’

“Have you figured out how you’re gonna ask?” 

“It’s Ruby…” Weiss replied, suffering another surge of nerves at the idea of asking this one particular question.  “I’ve thought of several different points I’d like to make, but otherwise I’ll…wing it.”

“Now you sound like me.”

“An unfortunate side effect of spending too much time with you,” Weiss retorted, taking comfort in their usual banter while slowing the vehicle to a crawl that was surely meant to delay her arrival home.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you.”

Sighing loudly, she both loved and hated that Yang could read her so well.  

“I know I want this.  But there’s no guarantee she’ll say yes.”

“Other than the fact that she will say yes.”

“You don’t know -”

“Come on, Weiss.  Ruby adores you more than anything in the world.  Except me, of course, but this isn’t a competition.”

When Weiss rolled her eyes, Yang laughed as if she’d seen the reaction.

“She’s going to say yes.  Hasn’t she made it obvious like a billion times that she wants to be with you for eternity?”

“Yes…”

“Then you have nothing to worry about!  Come on, Weiss - act like you’ve done this before!”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” Weiss grumbled, tightly clutching the steering wheel before relaxing her hands.

“Ok, how about this - the next time I see you two, I’ll blurt out something like ‘you’re engaged!’ or ‘congrats on getting engaged!’  That way you’ve gotta ask her soon.”

“Or never see you again,” Weiss countered.

“Ha ha.”

“But that...might work.”

It was a deadline - one Weiss had no control over once agreed to.  No matter what happened, Yang would follow through with her end of the bargain. Even if Weiss had a legitimate reason for postponing, Yang wouldn’t accept a delay. Someone could start dropping Grimm into the city, and Yang would only say that Weiss should’ve asked sooner.

Basically…now she had to ask, or risk Yang spilling the beans for her.

“It’s just like this new plan I have for Blake,” Yang whispered excitedly.  “She ignores us when she gets a new book, right? Well this time, I read the last few chapters - so if she starts ignoring me, I can spoil the ending for her!”

“Yang!” Weiss heard shouted from the background, along with a nearly audible cringe on Yang’s part.

“You’re in trouble now,” Weiss replied with an amused smile.  

“Damn, I didn’t even know she was in the house,” Yang said quietly.  “I’m totally kidding, Blake!” she then yelled away from the phone. “I would never threaten to ruin one of your books!  I know how important those are to you!”

When Weiss didn’t hear a response, she chuckled and shook her head.

“You’re in so much trouble,” she reiterated while waiting patiently at a stoplight - far more patiently than she was usually capable of waiting. But traffic didn’t bother her right now. In fact, the more traffic, the better.

“Don’t worry - she can’t stay mad at me for long,” Yang joked before a short moment of static cut through the call.  “Blake! Guess what??” she yelled away from the phone. “Weiss is gonna ask Ruby to marry her!”

With the attention shifted back to her, Weiss sighed and listened to several seconds of rustling before Blake’s voice came through.

“Are you really?” Blake asked - whatever annoyance she felt towards Yang not translating to Weiss.

“Yes.  Right now.  Or...whenever I get home and find the courage.”

“If she doesn’t do it, I get to spill the beans the next time I see them!” Yang said from the background, followed by Blake’s amused chuckle.

“Sounds like you have to ask then.  Are you nervous?”

“What do you think?”

Blake laughed again, the happy sound making Weiss smile regardless of the nerves fluttering in her chest.

“We all know what her answer will be, Weiss,” Blake said encouragingly.  “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I really hope you’re right…” Weiss muttered under her breath while her pulse began to increase.  The city streets had given way to neighborhoods...and the houses within those neighborhoods were growing more and more familiar with each passing block.

“I should probably get going,” she said, regretting the words as soon as they popped into existence.

“Oh, you’re almost there?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Here - Yang is better at pep talks -”  The scroll rustled again as Blake handed the device back to Yang, and Weiss braced herself for whatever was coming next.

“You can do this, Weiss!  You kinda have to do it, or I’m gonna do it for you.  Do you really want me to ask Ruby to marry you?  I mean, I will, but then I’ll keep bringing it up for the rest of our lives.”

“Is that the best you have?” Weiss teased.  

The threat of Yang telling Ruby was more than enough encouragement, but that didn’t mean Weiss was going to pass up the opportunity to tease her hopefully future sister-in-law.  Pestering Yang was normal - and normal helped Weiss ignore the budding nerves as she turned onto a familiar street and passed familiar homes of neighbors she was passively familiar with.

“I’d think of something better, but I kinda have my own hole to dig out of here.  Which, Blake, you look absolutely stunning today. Like, wow. Or should I say - me-wow.”

The terrible joke made Weiss shake her head in disbelief.  

Just when she thought Yang couldn’t dig herself any deeper…

“Yeah, Weiss, I gotta go,” Yang hurriedly whispered into the phone.  “This situation might call for some hands-on apologies.  But let me know how it goes - as soon as you ask!”

“I will.”

The words had hardly left Weiss’ mouth before the call cut to silence.  Gripping the steering wheel, she took a deep breath before letting it out through clenched teeth.  

Schnees weren’t nervous people, but she was a tad apprehensive - a feeling that only grew when she saw her destination up ahead.

For the briefest moment, she considered driving past their driveway and taking a detour around the block.  Maybe several detours. They needed more ice cream, didn’t they? Ruby ate the last of the Smushed Grimm the night before.  It would be a thoughtful gesture if Weiss went and picked up more.

“No, you’re not stalling,” she scolded herself while forcing her arms to turn the vehicle towards the drive.  

Procrastinating was also something Schnees never did.  Although, if she were to really get into the minutia of what it meant to be a ‘Schnee’ according to her father, she might realize just how ill-suited she was to carry the mantle…

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about her dear father, however.  Now was the time to focus on her future. At least, the future she hoped to build.

Parking the car in front of the house she loved more and more every day, she stared at the front door instead of getting out.  

If she was a Schnee, she would never admit that she was so nervous that her hands trembled.  If she was a Schnee, her heart wouldn’t pound so loudly in her ears that she could hardly hear anything else.   

Then again, if she was a Schnee, she never would have found happiness to begin with.

Grabbing a small, blue bag from the passenger seat, she left the vehicle behind in favor of heading to the front door.  Tapping in four fast digits, she found herself walking into the clean foyer seconds later.  

Well, the moderately clean foyer.  

Only one of Ruby’s boots had made it entirely into the hall closet, while the other was caught in the door.  A candy wrapper lay on the entryway table, and a line of petals led upstairs.

Weiss didn’t fight the smile that crept onto her lips while she picked the wrapper off of the table and crumpled it in one hand.  The mess was comforting...which was shocking considering the life she’d once known. But the days of her childhood felt like another world now, so far removed from her current reality.  

The petals would be cleaned up later.  Right now, they led her towards the piece of her heart she’d been missing on the short trip she made to pick up the item in her hands.

Setting the bag on the side table and pulling out a square, velvety box from inside, she tossed the wrapper aside before following the trail of roses towards their bedroom.  

Whenever someone asked how she dealt with the superfluous amounts of petals, she pretended to be modestly annoyed by the near-constant inconvenience.  However...how many girls were lucky enough to come home to a trail of rose petals every day?

Creeping towards the bedroom door while turning the small box over and over in her hands, Weiss felt her nerves loudly announcing themselves.  And with the nerves came her attempts to logically talk herself out of her determination.

There was no reason to rush - they were already together.  Why hurry when that might only cause a fracture in what was already wonderful to begin with?  They were happy - that was more than enough.  

Only it wasn’t.  Over the past few weeks and months, the overwhelming desire for more had grown into a compelling need.  They were partners for life - and Weiss wanted to set that promise in stone.  

Keeping her footsteps soft, she gently pushed open their bedroom door and searched inside.  Her eyes immediately landed on Ruby - causing a cascade of both joy and butterflies to swirl through her chest.

Ruby was currently searching for something in one of the bedside tables, kneeling on the floor while pulling out stacks of books and magazines.  Each one was quickly flipped through before tossed onto the floor behind her - and the action caused a sense of deja vu to sweep over Weiss.

This was so familiar yet different at the same time…

Still determined, Weiss crept closer while holding the box behind her back.  Each breath she took, she let out in a quiet, steady exhale while listening to the pounding of her heart in her ears.

This wasn’t as big of a deal as she was making it.  They already made this promise to each other - this was just...putting the cherry on top. There was no reason for her heart to pound in her chest or her palms to grow clammy while clasped behind her.  And there was certainly no reason for the extraordinarily dry desert that had taken temporary residence in her mouth.

Licking her lips, she tried to remember the talking points she came up with at the jeweler.  But details and specifics eluded her at this moment - all she knew was that this was what she wanted.  Because they loved each other - despite the odds.

Growing closer, she could hear Ruby muttering under her breath but couldn’t make out the words.  When a magazine was casually tossed backward, nearly hitting Weiss if she hadn’t stepped out of the way in time, her anxiety gave way to a smattering of curiosity.

What was Ruby searching for?

Holding the small box in one hand, Weiss was able to walk right up to Ruby - who was still unaware of her presence.  Leaning closer, she inhaled the scent of roses and smiled before placing her mouth right beside Ruby’s ear.

“What are you looking for?” she whispered.

Squealing in surprise, Ruby jumped to her feet and spun around in a flurry of petals.  Not expecting such a response, Weiss stepped backward to avoid their heads knocking together - only to feel her foot suddenly sliding on a slippery magazine cover.  Yelping when her balance was lost, she threw her hands outward in an attempt to catch herself as she fell - but a pair of strong arms suddenly appeared behind her back and held her steady.  

Heart pounding, Weiss suddenly found herself looking into silver eyes while Ruby gently lifted her back to her feet.

“I’m so sorry!” Ruby said, apology pouring from her in waves.  “I had no idea you were there! And then someone whispered in my ear and I just freaked out because I thought it might be a ghost or something and -”

“It’s alright.”  Raising one hand to cut off Ruby’s rambling apology, Weiss touched her fingers to her pounding heart before planting a grateful kiss on Ruby’s lips.  “Thank you for catching me.”

The small action was enough to light a smile on Ruby’s lips and clear away any regret.

“Of course!  You know I’ll always be there to catch you!  Unless like...I’m really far away.  But I’m pretty fast!”

Shaking her head at the answer, Weiss heard a soft giggle slip past her lips. 

Ruby had this way of being extraordinarily romantic and then ruining it when she thought it through too much.  Although to Weiss, it was never ruined at all - it was all part of Ruby’s ceaseless charm.

Suddenly realizing that her hands were empty, Weiss spun away from Ruby and scoured the floor for the box she must’ve dropped during her unexpected fall.  Spotting it on the floor several feet way - almost entirely underneath the bed - she made only one step towards it before Ruby spotted it and disappeared in a flutter of petals.

“You dropped this...little box!”  When Ruby held it up to eye level and looked at it, Weiss quickly snatched it from her hands.  

“It’s cute! What’s it do?”

“It doesn’t do anything,” Weiss remarked with a blush while moving it out of Ruby’s sight.  

This couldn’t have started more horribly. She lost the element of surprise and Ruby had now seen the box - which was very obviously a ring box.

“So it’s just...a box that does nothing?” Ruby asked, her brow furrowing like that answer wasn’t at all satisfying.

“That’s correct.”  

Did Ruby seriously not know what this type of box was for?  Bless her soul...maybe Weiss still had a chance at following this through.  That is, if her nerves weren’t completely shot from the unexpected beginning of her attempt. 

“What are you looking for?” she asked again to change the subject.  

If she was still going to do this, she needed time to regain a bit of her courage first...

“Oh!”  Ruby’s eyes widened when she remembered her task and forgot everything else entirely.  “I remember you telling me we had a photo of everyone from graduation.  I want to use it to make a super secret gift that I can’t tell you about right now!”

“A gift?” Weiss asked, although she wouldn’t pry any further than that.  Officially, she hated surprises. Unofficially...she loved when Ruby created something extraordinarily thoughtful and surprised her with it.  

“Well it’s not in there,” she continued before Ruby spilled the beans on this latest gift.  Pushing the pile of magazines out of the way, Weiss knelt beside the bed and hid the ring box next to her leg. Only then did she reach underneath the bed and pull out a photo box.  “It’s in here.”

Removing the lid, she looked at the dates written along the spines of several packages before finding one that had ‘graduation’ written beside it.  Removing the stack of photographs, she only flipped through a handful before finding the one Ruby was talking about.

Velvet had taken the photo right after the official graduation ceremony ended.  The four of them were beaming with joy - Yang had her arms thrown around Weiss and Blake’s shoulders, and Ruby was holding Weiss’ hand. Seeing their happiness - so youthful and energetic - made a smile appear on Weiss’ lips automatically.  They were naive, sure, but somehow they maintained their happiness through all of the ups and downs they’d suffered through.

“Here it is,” she said, holding the photo out to Ruby.  Ruby’s eyes twinkled in delight as she looked it over.  

“Everyone looks so happy...and look at you!  Look how cute you are!”

Weiss blushed at the compliment. 

“That was a great day,” she said before clearing her throat and setting the lid halfway back on the box.  “You’ll put it back when you’re done with it?”

“Of course!  Don’t I always put stuff back?”

“Hardly ever,” Weiss replied with a chuckle before grabbing the ring box and standing.  “But before you dive into that, what would you like for dinner?”

“Spaghetti!”

Why did Weiss even bother asking that question?  She should’ve seen the answer coming from a mile away.  Ruby’s obsession with spaghetti was...weird...but in a quirky and slightly adorable way.  However...

“You can’t have spaghetti every night,” Weiss replied with a shake of her head.

“Why not?”

“Because you need more nutrition than that!”

“No I don’t!”

When Weiss pursed her lips at the incorrect response, Ruby instantly caved and waved her hands.  “Ok, ok. How about...meatloaf?”

“Meatloaf?” Weiss asked in surprise.  They’d never, ever made meatloaf.

“Yeah!”  As Ruby answered, she hopped in excitement.  “And maybe we could cut it up into little bites and dump them in some tomato sauce.  And add some noodles!”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss understood Ruby’s little ploy - as if her twinkling silver eyes hadn’t given it away.

“So almost like spaghetti,” Weiss remarked dryly.  Ruby tried to look surprised by the revelation, widening her eyes and dropping her jaw.

“No way!  I hadn’t thought of it like that!” she said before grinning.  “I guess it kinda would be like spaghetti, but actually meatloaf.”

Resigned to their fate - another dinner of noodles and sauce - Weiss sighed and shook her head.

“If we have spaghetti tonight, will you promise to eat something else tomorrow?”  

An adorable little pledge was enough of an answer to her.  

“Come on then,” she said while heading towards the kitchen, leaving the mess on the bedroom floor behind to be cleaned up later.

“So…” Ruby began, trailing Weiss to the staircase.  “That little box you have…”

“Yes?”

Weiss’ heart immediately jumped into her throat while she waited for Ruby to catch on to what it was.

“What’re you gonna do with it?”

The question was a relief - one that made Weiss smile while listening to the sound of Ruby dropping from step to step behind her.

“I’m not sure yet,” she hedged, keeping the box firmly out of Ruby’s view.  “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering...if it doesn’t do anything and if you’re not going to use it...then maybe I could have it?”

“And what would you do with it?”

“I dunno, but I’d make it do something!”

Pretending to sigh in exasperation while internally racing through her options, Weiss quickly opened the box in front of her - out of Ruby’s line of sight - and pulled out the ring.  Hiding the small object in her left hand, she snapped the box closed when they reached the bottom of the stairs and held it out to Ruby.

“No explosions,” she ordered, pulling the box out of reach when Ruby didn’t immediately reply.

“Right!” Ruby said with several nods, her eyes hardly leaving the box in Weiss’ hands.  “No explosions! Got it.”

Satisfied with that answer, Weiss handed the box over and calmly (but not at all calmly) slipped the ring into her front pocket.  

This wasn’t going at all like she’d imagined.  Now Ruby had seen the box and actually had the box in her possession.  What if she suddenly realized what it was for?  

Glancing over, Weiss watched Ruby open and close the lid several times.  Fortunately, she was wearing that look - the one that was taking something apart and putting it back together multiple times.  The expression meant Ruby was analyzing her newest project in utmost detail - scouring for ideas as to how she could turn it into some type of weapon.  

This version of Ruby was highly unlikely to land on something as mundane as ‘box to hold engagement ring.’  ‘Box to hold highly-weaponized combat ring,’ maybe. Engagement ring, no.

Regardless, Weiss felt a small bit of relief when they walked into the kitchen and Ruby willingly abandoned the box on the island in favor of scavenging through the cupboards for a box of noodles.  The next few moments offered a sense of normalcy as they fell into a routine that had been perfected a hundred times over.  

Ruby was in charge of gathering everything they needed - from the noodles, to the sauce ingredients, to the salt and pepper.  While she blazed around collecting those items, Weiss started on the sauce. Then Ruby would start the water.

It was an intricate dance of sorts - one that they perfected after making more spaghetti than Weiss ever thought possible in a lifetime.  As was the case with their combat strategies, there was a particular flow to making dinner which developed and adapted until they were left with this - flawless execution.

Maybe Weiss shouldn’t brag about how well they made dinner together but…they made one hell of a team in the kitchen - just like they did in battle.

Setting the sauce to simmer and covering it with a lid, she’d just emptied an entire box of noodles into the boiling water when she heard her scroll chime.  Setting everything down and walking over to the counter to pick up the device, she found a message from Yang.

‘Did you do it yet?’

Flipping the scroll over, Weiss ignored the message.  

No, Yang, she hadn’t ‘done it’ yet.  After dinner was a better time - that’s when Ruby would be happy and content.  If only they had ice cream…then Ruby would be extra content…

“What’s with the face?” Ruby asked from her perch on one of the stools.  “Was it one of those advertising messages again? I can’t stand those! I get all excited that someone messaged me, and it’s just a dang ad.”

“If you stopped signing up for so many newsletters, you’d stop getting messages all the time,” Weiss replied while playfully tapping Ruby on the forehead.  “And no, it was just your sister.”

“Just my sister,” Ruby repeated with a grin.  “She’d be so upset if she heard you say that.”

Smiling, Weiss was about to walk back to the stove when Ruby gasped.

“Oh!  You should call your sister!” Ruby reminded her.  When she reached towards the scroll, Weiss lunged forward and snatched it away.

“I’ll do it after dinner,” she said while slipping her scroll into her pocket - her heart hammering in her chest while she tried to nonchalantly stir the noodles in the water.  

Ruby wouldn’t have intentionally read the message, but what if it stayed open on the screen?  

“No no no.  I’ve heard that before,” Ruby replied, thankfully not questioning Weiss’ reaction.  “Then we’ll get busy and you won’t call her!” Standing up and walking over to Weiss, Ruby pointed to the timer.  “We have a few minutes until the noodles are ready. You can call her real quick!”

Sensing that Ruby wasn’t going to let the subject drop, Weiss huffed in pretend exasperation but handed the ladle to Ruby and fished the scroll back out.

“Fine,” she said, stepping over to the island and clicking on Winter’s contact information.  “She’s probably busy anyway,” she remarked - right as the call connected.

“Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Winter asked, and Weiss practically heard the smirk on her sister’s lips.

“Tell her I said ‘hi!’” Ruby called from the stove.

“Ah - Ruby got you to call me again, I see,” Winter replied with an amused chuckle.  “She’s very helpful. I’ll have to think of something nice to get her…”

“I knew it,” Weiss said when her long-held suspicion was confirmed to be true.  “You’ve been bribing her.”

“‘Bribe’ implies that I offered her a reward in exchange for some action from her - I’ve done no such thing.  But if she’s already made the gesture of her own accord, shouldn’t I be able to make one in return?”

The tactful response made Weiss narrow her eyes.  

“So basically, you’re training her.”

Winter’s laugh was the only answer Weiss needed.  

In many instances, Ruby behaved like a puppy - and giving her rewards for good behavior was an effortless way to compel her to do something she wouldn’t ordinarily do.  Weiss had used this method several times herself, but she never thought it would be used against her.

In Weiss’ defense, she only came up with the idea after watching Yang literally lure Ruby to the dentist using a package of chocolate chip cookies.  It was utterly counterintuitive but highly effective.

“Make sure to tell her ‘hello’ from me too,” Winter added.

“Winter says ‘hello,’” Weiss directed towards Ruby before focusing her attention on the call.  “But yes, she reminded me that I haven’t called in quite some time - how have you been?”

“Everything has been running smoothly as of late.”

“Good to hear…” Weiss mumbled while her gaze returned Ruby - watching her stir the noodles and then stare into the pot of boiling water.  

Just watching Ruby made Weiss’ heart speed up, which might seem like a normal reaction, but tonight it was far more intense than usual. 

She had to ask tonight, but with the perfect moment already destroyed, the question was when.

“Weiss?”

“Yes?” she immediately replied, tearing her gaze away from Ruby in order to focus on the call.  “Sorry, what was that?”

“You seem uncharacteristically distracted right now -”

“Oh.  Right.  It’s nothing.  Ruby and I are in the middle of making dinner, so I’m a little...distracted, yes.”

When Ruby glanced over and smiled, Weiss made a motion with her hand as if Winter was the one who didn’t understand what was going on.

“I see...then your lack of focus has nothing to do with a certain question you’ve been compelled to ask tonight?”

“What?” Weiss yelped, her attention now solely upon her sister’s way-too-pleased chuckle.  “How do you know that?”

“I spoke to a rather-delighted teammate of yours right before you called.”

Weiss groaned at the response.  

“She already called you?”

“At least someone keeps me in the loop,” Winter playfully retorted.  “I’m guessing from your current nerves that you haven’t asked yet?”

Clearing her throat and flashing a smile when Ruby glanced her way again, Weiss tried to control her emotions so she didn’t give anything away.

“We’re making dinner right now.  Maybe...after.”

“You shouldn’t worry too much, Weiss.  If she looks at the situation logically, the two of you are a very compatible match.”

“That’s...not at all helpful.”

“Well you can’t say I didn’t try -”  

“Weiss,” Ruby whispered before gesturing towards the timer, which was about to go off.

“I need to finish with dinner,” Weiss said quickly.  “I’ll call you again soon to discuss...whatever happens.”

“Please do.  Or else I’ll expect another call from Yang…”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss said, “I’ll make sure to call first.  Have a good night.”

“Good luck, Weiss.”

Dropping the call and abandoning her scroll on the island, Weiss made her way over to where Ruby was tending the noodles.

“Are they done?”  

Ruby hastily waved Weiss over to try a single noodle she fished from the pot.  Carefully pulling it off the spoon, Weiss bit off the end and nodded.

“Those are perfect,” she said, turning off the burner while Ruby did an adorable fist pump in success.

“I might suck at cooking, but I can time a perfect noodle!”

“You’re very helpful,” Weiss added, lifting the lid off of the simmering sauce and giving it a good stir.  “Are you ready to eat?”

“That’s a question with only one answer!”

Laughing at the expected response, Weiss gestured towards the cabinets.  “Get some bowls then.”

Brushing several rose petals away before they landed in the sauce, Weiss accepted bowls from Ruby before serving two steaming helpings of noodles topped with a heaping spoonful of sauce - for Ruby.  For herself, she dolled out a more moderate portion and then headed over to take a seat at the island. Ruby was already digging into her meal, making happy sounds while she ate.

Even though a small dining table sat in the corner of the kitchen, they rarely used it.  Ruby preferred to eat at the island - maybe because they were still in the heart of the kitchen.  This was especially useful when Weiss was still cooking because then Ruby was in perfect position to steal a taste while the meal was being prepared.

“Happy now?” Weiss asked before taking her first bite.

“You have no idea!” Ruby answered before shoving another huge forkful into her mouth and giving Weiss a thumbs up.

Smiling to herself, Weiss watched Ruby demolish dinner while something akin to pride stirred in her chest.  

Learning how to cook might’ve been one of the most worthwhile endeavors she ever undertook, with dividends paid out daily.  Of course, most of her expertise went unused since Ruby hardly ever wanted anything other than spaghetti…but, as they say, it’s the thought that counts.

“Any idea when we’re going out again?” Weiss asked after several moments passed without a word.

She learned a long time ago that if she didn’t initiate conversation, their dinner could quickly end without Ruby speaking anything outside of making noises of content.  A good question or two created a pause between Ruby’s ravenous eating, which in turn prevented her from getting a stomach ache from eating too fast. As an intended side effect, Weiss would also be blessed with a few enjoyable dinner conversations to participate in.

“Mm!” Ruby answered before hastily swallowing the bite in her mouth.  “I was talking to Professor Ozpin about that - we’re in a holding pattern for a bit while he searches for more information.  Why? You wanna pick up a hunt while we wait?”

“More Taijitus?” Weiss teased before shaking her head.  “I was only curious. I have no problem waiting. In fact, it’ll be nice to have a few extra days together.”

What she didn’t say but thought to herself,was that the extra time would allow them to celebrate properly.  Or for her to mourn properly…

“We’ve been out there too much as it is,” she commented, turning back to her food in feigned nonchalance.  “How many has it been? Five in the past two weeks?”

“I don’t remember, but a lot!”  

While Ruby said the words, she grinned like the answer was pleasing in some way.  To her, it probably was. She was extremely proud of everything their team had accomplished and was in the process of accomplishing.  As she should be - at this moment, it felt like there was no limit to what they could do. If they trained hard enough and studied diligently enough, they would continue to improve.  And with Ruby at the helm, they were always striving for something. That was just one of the many traits Weiss adored about her partner - the constant, never-ending, ceaseless quest for progress.

“Your memory concerns me sometimes,” Weiss joked while Ruby approached the end of her plate of food.

“It’s been such a whirlwind though!  Beowolves and Death Stalkers and Nevermores and lonely little Boarbatusks and whatever that freaking thing was we saw in that lake - pretty soon the Grimm kinda blur together into one big ball of black.”  Sticking another forkful of noodles into her mouth, Ruby chewed and swallowed before pointing her fork towards Weiss. “I get your point though. I think my brain’s regressing - can’t remember what happened yesterday!”

“That’s even more concerning because we went to the parts store yesterday,” Weiss replied with an amused smile that only grew more amused when Ruby gasped.

“That was yesterday!  Wow, that place is so awesome...I want one of everything there.  No idea what I’d do with all that stuff but just to have it…”

While Ruby’s eyes unfocused and she absentmindedly ate the last of her dinner - dreaming about bits of metal and rolls of wire - Weiss made a mental note of the idea.  Ruby’s birthday would roll around eventually, and what better way to take some of the stress out of planning than by having her gift already settled upon?  

But why only one of everything?  Why not two of everything? Or ten?  Actually...why not have one of the companies come in and stock Ruby’s workshop to the brim with new materials?  And, if Weiss played her cards right, she might also be able to convince a certain older Schnee to donate the latest and greatest in Dust technology.

Now that was a gift worth giving Ruby.

It was great that Weiss had Ruby’s next birthday gift planned but no idea what to do about the present matter at hand - namely, the not-so-small question she wanted to ask tonight.

Why had she told Yang?  The moment she placed the call, she’d known she was stepping across the point of no return.  Yang was great at ultimatums as long as they didn’t involve her - and with Weiss especially.  

If Weiss didn’t ask soon, Yang would tell.  It was only through this absolute certainty that Weiss felt compelled to follow through.  Backing out wasn’t an option now – although she could potentially convince Ruby to go on an impromptu trip to Mistral or something…then they wouldn’t see Yang again for the foreseeable future…

“Remnant to Weiss - come in, Weiss.”

Jarred from her thoughts, Weiss blinked when a hand waved in front of her face.

“Yes?” she asked, the question making Ruby laugh.

“I asked if you were done!” Ruby repeated while gesturing to Weiss’ plate.  “Let me do the dishes tonight!”

“Oh, yes.  Yes, I’m done.” 

The words hardly appeared before Weiss’ bowl disappeared and Ruby rushed to the sink.  Swiveling in the chair to follow Ruby’s progress, Weiss briefly patted her pocket to make sure the ring was still there.  It was - the thin metal outline hardly discernible to an outside observer yet burning like an ember in her pocket.

Watching Ruby do the dishes - water flying everywhere from how fast she moved - Weiss felt her heart steadily climbing into her throat.  

Dinner was over.  Ruby was happy and content.  Soon the dishes would be finished and Ruby would fly back to Weiss for a kiss.  And then - and then she could ask.  

It didn’t need to be a huge ordeal.  It didn’t need to be some huge spectacle or event.  It was simply a small question - only a few words.  The only real issue was the life-altering answer...

As soon as the faucet turned off, Ruby disappeared from the sink and reappeared by Weiss’ side. 

“Thanks for dinner,” she quipped before kissing Weiss’ cheek and bouncing away.  “Think I’ll do some training stuff now - wanna come?”

So distracted by her other thoughts, Weiss was already shaking her head before a proper response formed in her mind.

“I think...there are a few things I’d like to work on first,” she answered, swallowing in an attempt to rid the desert from her mouth.

“You sure?”

When Ruby tilted her head, Weiss knew that she finally said something peculiar enough to pique Ruby’s interest.  It was unusual for her to turn down the opportunity to work with Ruby in the combat room. In fact, she couldn’t remember a single instance when she turned down that offer since they moved in…

“It won’t be long,” she added in an attempt to soothe Ruby’s curiosity.  “There’s just...something I’m trying to work on.”

“Oh, ok.”  Moderately disappointed but accepting the answer, Ruby headed into the entryway.  

Shooting out of her seat, Weiss quickly followed.  Now would be the time - before Ruby started running through simulations for who knew how long.  Depending on what Ruby was trying to accomplish, she could be downstairs for the rest of the night working on different strategies, and once she got going on something, it was difficult to pull her mind off of it. The last thing Weiss wanted was for Ruby to be distracted or sidetracked when asking this question.

“How ‘bout I wait for you?” Ruby offered, stopping underneath the chandelier and giving Weiss a hopeful smile that melted her heart. 

Ruby could’ve easily become the best solo huntress Remnant had ever seen, yet she chose to devote herself to her team - and to Weiss.  In many ways, they slowed her down, but she never showed any regret or impatience at waiting for everyone to be on the same page. 

It might be a simple thing - waiting for Weiss to be ready to train - but it was another small sacrifice Ruby was willing to make in the name of teamwork.

They were all incredibly fortunate to have a leader like Ruby...

“Then I’ll meet you down there,” Weiss answered with a smile that Ruby returned tenfold.

“Yes!  Take your time though – I don’t mind!”  Without another word, Ruby jumped once and would’ve raced away had Weiss not reached out to stop her. 

“Wait!” Weiss called out a little too urgently, immediately retracting her hand and attempting to regain a fraction of her composure.  “Before you do that - I, uh, I was wondering if we could talk.”

Turning back to Weiss, Ruby smiled.  

“Sure!  What’s up?”

As silver eyes waited expectantly, Weiss listened to the pounding of her pulse in her ears.  

This was supposed to be easy.  So why was it so nerve-wracking to imagine putting those words out into the world?

“I…” she began, meeting Ruby’s eyes before shying away.  “It’s...it’s nothing. I’ll meet you downstairs in a bit.”

When she spun towards the staircase to make an abrupt retreat, a hand appeared on her arm and stopped her.

“Woah, woah, woah!  I’m super curious now!”  With Ruby’s hand gently pulling at her elbow, Weiss turned around and found herself caught in a curious gaze.

Of all the nerve-wracking things she’d ever done, these moments made her more nervous than the rest of them combined.  Unfortunately, now that Ruby had caught on that something was afoot, she wouldn’t let the matter drop so easily.  Sure, Weiss could come up with a distraction that would work, but did she want to? Did she want to lose her courage once again?  Did she want to spend another night cursing herself for losing the resolve to move their relationship forward?

The answer was, most assuredly, no.  No, she didn’t want to keep waiting. She didn’t want to make more excuses to the jeweler about how the ring needed to be re-sized, re-fitted, re-seated, re-anything.  She was ready to take the next step...finally.  Maybe she hadn’t waited that long, but it felt like she’d waited more than enough.

“You really want to know?” she asked, narrowing her eyes while trying to read Ruby’s mind.

“Yes!”

“Alright…”  Taking a deep breath, Weiss was about to speak when she caught sight of their current surroundings.  Did she want to do this here...in the entryway? Ruby wouldn’t mind because she loved every bit of this house, but if there was a better place...somewhere a little more magical...

Looking around the entryway, Weiss caught sight of the door heading downstairs, and an idea sprang into her mind.

“Let’s head downstairs.” 

With nothing more than an “Ok!” Ruby willingly followed Weiss to the stairwell, forgoing the railing in favor of walking by her side down to the basement of the home.

Weiss had tried the banister once.  It was extremely uncouth, but an inordinate amount of fun.  She definitely understood why Ruby enjoyed it so much.

Once they reached the bottom of the staircase, Weiss watched the lights click on in rapid succession above the combat floor.  It was an effect Ruby had designed herself - a ‘cool’ feature that lended well to the aesthetic of such a technologically-advanced room.  

Leading them over to the room’s ‘brain,’ Weiss tapped the screen to wake it up.

“Choose your favorite map,” she instructed Ruby.  “But no Grimm.”

“A challenge!” Ruby quipped before furrowing her brow and tapping through the menus.  “My favorite though? Hmmm…”

A few minutes later, Ruby made a selection and set the room to non-combat.  The stark white panels in front of them briefly shimmered before dark green evergreen trees materialized from thin air.  With the trees came snow-dusted branches and a thick layer of powdery snow covering the ground, causing the panels to disappear from view.  The soft hum of vents clicking on could be heard while the air grew cold with an artificial chill that caused Weiss’ breath to billow from her lips.

Taking in the familiar winter wonderland that had sprung up in front of them, Weiss smiled.

This was a little more magical – and an environment that was special to them both.

“Let’s go,” she said softly, taking Ruby’s hand and guiding them through the dense trees towards the small clearing that would be in the very center.  

Picking her way between the tree trunks, Weiss allowed her eyes to wander.  Absent of Beowolves or Grimm of any kind, the environment was peaceful and beautiful.  The trees had been placed with care and attention to detail. The snow drifted and flowed as if it swept into place by natural wind.  Besides the lack of creatures outside of themselves, they could easily be strolling through a real section of forest from the outskirts of Atlas.

Stepping through the last line of trees, they found themselves in a clearing that was circular but not too circular.  Their feet shuffled against the fake snow on the ground, kicking up tufts with the crunch of each step while Weiss led them to the center of the area.  As they walked, she tried to hide several deep breaths the billowed in front of her while she attempted to stem her rapidly-climbing nerves.  

When they reached the middle of the area - their starting point before a battle - Weiss took a moment to look around before finding Ruby’s eyes.  Ruby was still curious, but her curiosity hadn’t yet translated into hyperactivity. Instead, she was patiently waiting for whatever was coming next.  It was the perfect mood to capture her full attention for a serious question.  

The perfect mood...the perfect atmosphere...if a perfect moment truly existed, this might be as close as they’d ever get.

Of course, Weiss still had a significant role to play in this.  From the rate her heart pounded in her chest, she doubted she’d be able to pull off her part perfectly.  In fact, she could easily play this off as nothing more than an elaborate joke designed to make Ruby believe that something important was about to happen.  She could easily alter their path and step away.  

But she didn’t want to.  She meant what she told Yang earlier - she was tired of waiting.  Because what was she waiting for? Absolute certainty that Ruby would say yes?

If their lives as huntresses had taught her anything, it was that sometimes risks were necessary.  Sometimes they jumped without knowing how far they would fall. Sometimes they ran without knowing what they were running towards.  

And sometimes they asked questions without knowing the answers.  

“Stand here,” she instructed gently, dropping Ruby’s hands and taking Ruby’s grin as a sign of encouragement.  “Now close your eyes.”

When Ruby obediently closed her eyes, Weiss waved a hand in front of her to make sure she wasn’t peeking.  Satisfied with the result, Weiss took a deep breath and pulled the ring out of her pocket.

Kneeling on one knee in the snow, she held the silver engagement ring between her thumb and forefinger and tried to steady her shaking hands.  Trembling like a leaf from nerves wasn’t very Schnee-like…but to hell with being a Schnee. She wanted to be a Rose.

“Alright,” she breathed out - not really ready, but unwilling to back out now.  “You can open them now.”

Ruby’s eyes opened and briefly filled with confusion before she found Weiss kneeling on the ground.  The instant their eyes locked, Ruby dropped down into the snow in front of her.

“No, Ruby, you need to stand,” Weiss said.

“Oh, but...I don’t want you to be down here by yourself…”

Faced with an expression of pure sincerity, Weiss shook her head in wonder.  Why had she imagined this would go as planned or as tradition stated it should be?  Ruby had never been, and never would be, one for tradition.

“Then we’ll do this together,” Weiss agreed, reaching out with her free hand to hold Ruby’s.  As soon as they touched, she felt a thread of comfort weaving through her rampant nerves - assuring her that everything would be ok.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, she was finally going to ask.  And then she would pray to all that was holy that – even though the two of them had changed immensely from Beacon to now – Ruby’s answer was still the same.

“Ruby Rose,” Weiss whispered, trying to ignore the steady hammering of her heart while silver eyes locked onto her.  “You are the most wonderfully-brilliant person I’ve ever met. Compassionate, funny, extremely talented...you’re always challenging yourself to improve and, by doing so, challenge those around you to become better as well.”

With each word she spoke, it became easier to find the next.  This was Ruby, after all...and Weiss could gush about Ruby to the moon and back.

“I’m so lucky…” she continued, squeezing Ruby’s hand while looking into those sparkling silver eyes.  “I’m so, so lucky that you’re the one I stumbled across first in the forest.  Ever since that day, you’ve helped me become a better teammate, a better partner...a better friend.  I wouldn’t be half the huntress or half the person I am today without you.”

When Ruby opened her mouth to protest, Weiss shook her head, and Ruby dutifully closed her mouth again.

“Let me finish first,” Weiss said with a small smile, knowing what Ruby was about to argue on her behalf.  “You don’t have to agree with me, just know that I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of your life.  I love you - so much. It might be selfish of me to ask for more, but I’ve never claimed to be a selfless person. So, Ruby Rose…”

Moving the ring so that Ruby’s eyes flicked to it, Weiss took a deep breath and said the words she’d held inside ever since they moved into this house together.

“Will you marry me?”

The question hung in the air while Ruby’s eyes flitted from the ring to Weiss and back again.  And, before Weiss could even begin to grow worried, a smile appeared on Ruby’s lips - becoming a beaming grin in no time.

“That’s a question with only one answer,” Ruby replied, her smile growing impossibly brighter.  “And that’s heck yes!”

Heck yes.

Yes.

“Yes?” Weiss repeated, wondering if her ears were deceiving her.

“Yes,” Ruby echoed before giggling.  “And don’t act so surprised, Weiss!  You’re freaking incredible! And I’ve wanted to marry you for like...a really long time now.”

“You have?”

Ruby said not to act so surprised, but right now Weiss was...dumbstruck.  It was one thing to imagine Ruby’s response. It was another thing entirely to have it confirmed out loud – again.

“Yeah!  I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” Ruby continued, habitually playing with the ring around her neck before pointing to the new one clutched in Weiss’ hand.  “I get to wear that one, right?”

Jolting back to tradition, Weiss said, “Of course!” before picking up Ruby’s right hand.  “I hope you like it…” she murmured while sliding the ring onto Ruby’s finger and immediately suffering a round of goosebumps.

Once the engagement ring was in place, Ruby lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers between them.

“It’s perfect,” she said before bringing her hand close to her face to scrutinize it.  “Does it do anything special?”

Laughing at the typical Ruby question, Weiss shook her head and threw her arms around Ruby’s neck for a hug.  

“You’ll have to find out, won’t you?” she whispered in Ruby’s ear before pulling back and kissing Ruby fully - pouring her love and happiness through a kiss.

When Weiss pulled away, she put both palms on Ruby’s cheeks and brought their foreheads gently together.  Every bit of her was shaking from nerves and excitement. Her pulse was still racing. Her heart still beating like crazy.  But she did it - she asked, and Ruby said yes.  

Yang and Blake were right, after all.  Of course Ruby said yes. They were meant to be together.  Hadn’t their past already proven as much?

And now they would get married.  Finally.

“I love you,” Weiss mumbled, closing her eyes and savoring the sensation of blissful weightlessness spreading through her chest.

“I love you too, Weiss,” Ruby answered in a soft voice, and there was no giggle or laugh in her tone.  It was one of those rare moments when she was incredibly sincere, honest, and serious at the same time.  

After several moments of peaceful quiet that Weiss used to regain her composure, she opened her eyes and found silver watching her intently.

“I’m glad you asked,” Ruby whispered with a hint of a grin appearing.  “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you!”

“I can’t wait either.”

Finally standing from their position kneeling in the snow, Ruby brushed off her knees before offering her hand down to pull Weiss to her feet.  The moment she was standing, Ruby wrapped her in another strong hug - one that made her feel incredibly cherished, protected, and loved.

“You know, sometimes things are going to get rough,” Ruby said while letting Weiss go, dropping one hand to intertwine with Weiss’ while staring deep into her eyes.  “Sometimes the world will be horrible and we’ll be completely miserable and no matter what we do it’ll feel like nothing works and everything is wrong -”

“Wow,” Weiss interrupted, making Ruby smile and continue.

“But no matter what happens, we’ll make it through.  We’ll always have each other, Weiss. Even if we’re apart, we’ll always be together.”

Ruby held up her hand, where the silver band sparkled on her finger – this one with their favorite word etched on the outside rather than within.

“Cuz that’s what eternity means.”

Wrapping her arms around Ruby’s neck, Weiss pulled herself up to her tiptoes to kiss Ruby again.  And while she breathed in the scent of roses, she felt the love flowing between them - part of a bond that had only grown stronger with time.  The two of them were bound together...and Weiss would have it no other way.

Breathless and losing herself in Ruby, she briefly pulled away and ran her fingers through Ruby’s hair.

“I love you, Ruby Rose.”

“And you’re not lying,” Ruby teased with a grin that made Weiss laugh.

“Of course not.”  Shaking her head, she felt Ruby’s hands slide to the small of her back and pull her closer.  “I’ll love you more every day - that’s my promise to you.”

“I accept your promise and return it tenfold!” Ruby replied, giving Weiss a quick kiss before leaning away.  “Now, uh...I mean, this is when we should do something totally romantic, right?” 

“Such as?” Weiss asked, raising her brow in anticipation of what Ruby would come up with on such short notice.

“Such as...uh...The Horde?”

Laughing at Ruby’s idea of a romantic celebration, Weiss took Ruby’s hand and pulled her back through the forest so they could retrieve their weapons.

“If that’s what you want to do, then that’s what we’ll do.”

It was unconventional, but that was Ruby - and Weiss loved her all the more for that.

“Think we’ll get it this time?” Ruby asked, a skip in her step while she fiddled with the newly-appointed ring on her finger.

“You mean 2.0?” Weiss clarified, receiving a nod before she smiled.  “We’ll do our best.”

While Ruby set up their next challenge, Weiss watched with a silly grin set on her lips.

In their lives - which were never guaranteed to be smooth or uneventful - that was the most they could offer - their best.  No matter the trial, no matter the obstacle set in their path, they would strive to their utmost ability to persevere. At times they might fail, at times they might not succeed, but they would be remembered by how they overcame their adversities.  And, Weiss’ personal hope was that they would be remembered for how they overcame adversity together.

If they ever lost everything...if they ever had to rebuild from scratch…

Well, they’d already done that once before - they could do it again.