The Winter Challenge - Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Blake hardly said two sentences on their way back to the room, and didn’t seem to notice how worried Yang grew with each second of brooding silence.  Being quiet wasn’t exactly new for Blake, but repeatedly rejecting Yang’s attempts at conversation was.  Normally, Yang could get her talking in a couple words or less.  This time...Yang’s efforts fell upon deaf ears.  Or, more accurately, mute lips.

Sensing Yang’s growing concern, Weiss stifled the urge to shake Blake by the shoulders and tell her to snap out of it.  Whatever she was doing - which was brooding, something she did best - was sending all the wrong signals given the circumstances.

Yang made the first move, she initiated a kiss, they got interrupted, now Blake refused to talk or even look at her?  If the same thing happened with Ruby, Weiss would be going out of her mind worrying that she made the wrong decision.  That she overstepped her boundaries, made a horrible mistake, and ruined their relationship.  

But that would never happen because Ruby was a better communicator than Blake was.  Really, this was partially Yang’s fault for pursuing the member of their team most likely to wall off and shut down at the mere thought of being vulnerable.  But she decided to give it a try anyway, and Weiss decided to help - now they were both invested in convincing Blake out of her shell.

This situation wasn’t exactly included in the Beacon handbook, but Weiss was determined to see it through to the end.  Once successful, she would consider this one of her biggest victories yet.  Not many people could claim to have helped a bucket of sunshine, muscles, and hairspray and an ex-guerilla fighter with trust issues start a relationship.  

It was a ridiculous achievement to strive for, but she wanted it regardless.  First, one of them needed to get Blake talking again.

“What should we do now?” Weiss asked while they approached their room.  She directed the question to everyone, but Blake and Yang didn’t realize they were included or didn’t want to acknowledge it.  Instead, they walked into the room without a word, so she turned to Ruby.

“I think I’ll practice Grimm Bashers for a bit!”  After hopping through the doorway as if touching the threshold was a sin, Ruby turned a blinding smile on Weiss.  “Unless you want to do something else?”

“I’ll study for a little bit,” Weiss replied, but it didn’t escape her notice that Ruby always made herself available for hanging out when they had free time.  While it might seem like a small thing, it meant Weiss was never lonely - a stark change from her upbringing.  She loved not feeling lonely...

“Cool!  Just let me know if you want to do something.” With that, Ruby took a running jump onto Weiss’ bed and pulled out her scroll.  While she co-opted the bed once again, Weiss shook her head and walked over to her desk.

The room was too quiet, especially for having both Yang and Ruby around.  There should be some sort of noise happening.  Laughter, giggles, anything.  Instead, there was silence.  Fortunately, Ruby’s game provided some sound, but...half of the room was uncomfortably quiet.

Maybe it was only uncomfortable to Weiss, who felt the tension in the air while Yang dawdled - taking her sweet time removing her shoes, giving Blake every opportunity to say something, before finally pulling herself onto her bed with a sigh.  She sunk into her pillows and pulled out her scroll, and Blake...Blake grabbed a book and pretended to read.

She probably thought she fooled them whenever she had a book in her hands, but the speed of her page turns gave her away.  Normally, she flipped pages at a quick, steady rhythm.  When she pretended to read, like she was right now, she stared at one page for too long.  The unblinking gaze suggested her thoughts were still stuck in the forest, on the moment that nearly changed everything.

This was bad.  Very, very bad.  Now that Blake was ‘reading,’ Weiss needed a good excuse to interrupt.  But they all knew not to interrupt Blake while she read (unless they were Yang) or risk being snapped at.  And a more overt attempt at communication would give away Weiss’ intentions...

Trying to come up with something believable, she sat at her desk and pretended to study.  That involved pulling over a notebook and some textbooks, searching for a pen, and tapping it against the paper while ‘deep in thought.’ 

This entire situation was ridiculous.  Rather than play this never-ending game of ‘will they, won’t they,’ they should just kiss and get on with it.  If Weiss was ever in this situation, that’s what she would do.  A kiss left no room for misinterpretation.  It was, in a single action, a statement of the feelings they were hiding deep, deep inside.  

Maybe she should dare them again?

Sighing to herself, she wrote a random note about Nevermores and tried to think of a less suspicious solution.  She needed to draw Blake into a conversation...but how?  She could start with the most inconspicuous question first - food.  Now, she only needed Blake’s attention...

When she cleared her throat and turned around, however, Blake didn’t move a muscle.  Neither did Yang.  Ruby, of course, immediately looked up and gave Weiss her full attention.  But Ruby was adorable and considerate and maybe just a bit like a puppy seeking approval, but Weiss loved her all the more for it.

Seeing as how she hadn’t been trying to get Ruby’s attention, she smiled and waved Ruby back to her game before spinning around.  That had worked...not at all...so she needed something else.  Something she could address to Blake specifically instead of addressing the group.  

She could ask what the book was about, but Blake had been reading it for the past few days and Weiss hadn’t shown any interest up to now.  She could ask a question for her and Ruby’s paper, but Blake probably wouldn’t believe that Weiss really wanted her opinion.  

Or she could ask Blake to explain, in a hundred words or less, how much she liked Yang in a more-than-friendly sense.  Her luxurious, golden hair - her chiseled physique - those gorgeous eyes - that heart-melting smile - Blake could use the opportunity to get all flustered over Yang like she really wanted to.  As much as listening to that would make Weiss physically nauseous, she would prefer it to the continued silence.

She had a better idea.  Instead of trying to prompt Blake into communication, she should get to Blake through Yang.

“Hey Yang?” she asked while turning around, thrilled by her genius.  “Did you and Blake finish your paper for Oobleck already?”

And therein lies the genius - loop Blake in by proxy.

“Pretty close,” Yang answered.  “Just a few pages left.”

Nodding at the response, Weiss waited for Blake to look up from the book.  

And waited...and waited…

“Why?”

Unprepared for Yang’s follow-up question, Weiss forced a smile.  “No reason.  Just curious.”

The instant Blake’s eyes snapped to her and held, she knew she just got caught.  The response made it too obvious that she was fishing for a conversation, and now Blake stared at her with an intent gaze she almost shied away from.

Almost, but not quite.  It took more than a Belladonna stare to make her shy away.

When Blake closed her book and set it on the bed beside her, however, Weiss spun back to her desk.  At least Blake was moving, which was good.  But moving towards her, which was...less good.  Blake needed to move towards Yang - the blonde goofball who didn’t understand what was happening between them right now.

“Hey Weiss?”

When Weiss turned, she tried to look surprised to find Blake standing beside her.  Internally, she felt like she just poked an Ursa.  A very surly Ursa.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

Well...it was still a step in the right direction, even though everything about Blake’s aura gave Weiss reason to worry.  Regardless, she nodded and followed Blake towards the door.  Before stepping into the hall, however, she caught Yang’s gaze and read the questions in her eyes - why would Blake talk to Weiss and not her?  Was it because she really screwed up?  Should she not have gone for a kiss?  

Even though Weiss had no idea what Blake intended to say, she tried to give Yang a reassuring smile before leaving the room behind.

For several minutes, they walked aimlessly.  At least, Weiss walked aimlessly, but she assumed that Blake was leading them wherever people were not.  Downstairs, through the lobby, then outside - outside, even though it was cold and Blake must hate it.

Still, they walked, and Weiss said nothing.  If Blake had something she wanted to say, Weiss didn’t want to ruin it by speaking out of turn.  Besides, she had no idea what to say.  This entire episode began with an almost kiss that should have happened.  Now, Blake wanted to speak with her for...reasons yet to be understood.

“About today…” Blake finally said as they passed the library but didn’t go inside.  “What you saw during the scavenger hunt…”

“You and Yang talking?” Weiss asked, playing the innocent card to see if it worked.  From the look Blake gave her, it didn’t.

“Right.  When we were talking…” 

Weiss wasn’t a very patient person, but she would wait until the end of time to hear the end of that sentence.  But Blake didn’t finish it.  Instead, she opened and closed her mouth…then shook her head, sighed, and finally spoke again.

“I don’t want you to think that...I’d do anything to jeopardize our team...”

Suddenly, Weiss understood everything.  Blake’s attempt to distance herself from Yang, the glances Weiss’ way, the desire to talk…

She thought that Weiss wouldn’t approve.  Not only that, she thought that Weiss would be against their relationship.  That Weiss would consider it a bad idea for maintaining the integrity of their team and keeping the potential for drama to a minimum.

Well, Blake couldn’t be more wrong, and Weiss was setting that record straight right now.

“You know what’s most annoying about that statement?” she asked while stopping and turning towards Blake.  “That you think that you and Yang being happy would somehow jeopardize our team.”

Clearing not expecting that response, Blake took a step back and shook her head.

“I didn’t mean -”

“Yes, you did,” Weiss interrupted before Blake tried to explain it away.  “You’re just going to ignore how you feel?  You’re choosing to be unhappy?  Is that supposed to make me happy?”  The idea was so absurd, Weiss crossed her arms and scoffed.  “Your instincts are great in a fight, Blake, but they suck when it comes to people.”

Weiss meant the words and wouldn’t take them back.  Over the course of their training, Blake had proven herself more than capable in a fight.  When it came to developing relationships involving any sort of closeness, however, her first response was to lock those feelings somewhere she’d never find them, outright deny them until she believed it, or just run away.  None of those options worked here.

She needed to stop overthinking this.  Yang was already there.  Yang had already accepted what her feelings meant.  Yang was ready to move to whatever came next.  Blake, however, just stared while trying to come to terms with what Weiss said.

Maybe it was time she took off the kid gloves and delivered a bit of bluntness.

“We chose difficult lives, Blake,” she added with a shake of her head.  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t be happy.  Ruby and I want you - and Yang - to be happy.  If that -”  she motioned in the direction of the forest, “makes you happy, then that’s exactly what we want for both of you.”

She made sure to emphasize that Yang also wanted this to happen.  That both of them would be happier.  That this wasn’t some one-sided crush destined to go nowhere.  This was two people who got along amazingly well, who’d developed deeper feelings that couldn’t be hidden forever.

“But…”  Clearly struggling with the concept, Blake paused for several seconds before shaking her head.  “But so many things could go wrong.” 

“That’s the story of our lives,” Weiss replied, gently raising her hands before dropping them to her sides.  “Every time we leave Beacon, something could go wrong.  Every time we walk into the forest.  Even walking to class can be a hazard, at least for Ruby.” 

When Blake briefly smiled at the joke, Weiss continued.

“What’s important is that we adapt and communicate.  If things go wrong, then we figure out a way forward that works for everyone - do you really think you and Yang aren’t mature enough to do that?”

Brow furrowed and lips pursed, Blake thought through the situation for a long time.  She and Yang were mature enough - surely, she knew that.  And they could make their team work, even if - somehow - the two of them broke up.

The decision was still a difficult one for Blake to make, but Weiss understood.  Trust was a fragile thing, especially when it came to their hearts.  No one wanted to risk their heart too soon, and she might advise them to slow down if she hadn’t already seen how perfect they were together.

“Do you trust her?” she finally asked.

“Of course I do.”

“Then you need to show her that you do,” she replied, knowing that she had Blake there.  “We both know she’ll do anything to make you happy.  You just need to...give her a chance.  And know that Ruby and I support both of you no matter what.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel uncomfortable speaking on Ruby’s behalf.  She knew Ruby would agree with her just as firmly as she knew Ruby would be hungry by the time they got back to the room.  And Blake needed the encouragement - she needed to know that her teammates wouldn’t turn against her.  They would never do something like that.  Even if a relationship with Yang fell apart, Blake wouldn’t lose her team - Weiss was certain of that.

“I guess…” Blake began before pausing and letting out a big sigh.  “I’m just...scared.”

If Blake was the hugging type, Weiss would give her a big hug for that admission, which was huge - huge - for her.  

“You literally chose one of the sweetest people at Beacon,” Weiss pointed out instead.  “And she adores you.  You know she’ll bend over backward making sure you’re comfortable.”

At first, Weiss expected Blake to deny that she ‘chose’ anyone in that way, but that denial never came.  Instead, she bit her lip and thought long and hard on the words before nodding.

“You’re right.”  Before Weiss adequately celebrated being right yet again, Blake met her eyes and smiled.  “You’re right,” she repeated.  “I trust her, and...I can trust her with this.  I think…”

Not exactly the ‘full steam ahead’ response Weiss might’ve hoped for, but it was still night-and-day better than where they were several minutes ago.

“You can,” she reiterated before smiling.  “But first, you need to let her know you’re not upset about what happened, because I’m pretty sure she’s freaking out.”

Just like that, worry replaced Blake’s uncertainty.

“You’re right,” she breathed out while turning back to their room.  Her brow furrowed, and she stared that direction as if she could hear Yang’s concerned thoughts from here.  Before heading home, however, she spared one last smile for Weiss.

“Thank you.”

“That’s what teammates are for,” Weiss replied before heading back to the room.  She set a quick pace that Blake easily matched, showing through actions rather than words how greatly she wanted to get home and patch things over with Yang.

Fortunately, Blake looked determined unlike anything Weiss had seen before.  At least, nothing she’d seen when it came to Yang.  Maybe there was hope for them yet, and maybe there was hope for Weiss to win her personal challenge before the end of the week.

Time would tell.  Right now, however, she was just glad that Blake was talking again.  And she was glad that Blake would put Yang’s worries at ease shortly, because Yang had no reason to second guess herself - she read the situation right, her feelings were returned.  They just needed the right moment, and that hadn’t been it.

Right now, Weiss didn’t know when that moment would come.  All she knew was that watching Blake stride towards the door and walk into the room first filled her with expectation.  After following inside, she watched Blake walk over and pull herself onto Yang’s bed.

“Sorry,” she mumbled while moving over to Yang’s side, much to Yang’s wide-eyed surprise.  “I just...don’t like losing…and Nora found so many more keys than I did...”

Fortunately, for everyone involved, Yang bought the excuse easily.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re more competitive than Weiss.”

Weiss huffed at the comment but watched Yang keep her hands firmly to herself - still uncertain about her status.  At least, she was uncertain until Blake leaned into her side to prompt more contact.  

Perfect.  Yang lit up like she just found out it was her birthday and wrapped an arm around Blake’s shoulders.

“We’ll do better next time,” she added with a smile, which Blake returned before snuggling into her side to savor the extra warmth.  Then she smiled at Weiss and, for a split second, Weiss saw it - everything they could become as a couple, if only they got on the same page.  Supportive, loving, affectionate, and stronger together than they were apart.  They were right there - so close to that new status.  All they had to do was reach for it.

Maybe it was better this way.  What if the kiss happened, but Blake still felt like a relationship wouldn’t be accepted?  Would they try to keep it a secret?  That sounded like a horrible way to start a relationship, especially when half of that relationship was Yang.  Would Blake try to play it off like nothing?  That would hurt Yang even more.  For as much as she pretended to be strong and confident, she might be the most sensitive of the four of them.

Now that Blake knew Weiss was on their side - not just on their side, but fully supportive of their relationship - would she admit the feelings she’d held at bay for so long?  Would she let her guard down a little bit more?  Just enough for Yang to make another attempt?

“Want to watch that movie?”  

Yang kept her voice low and soft, either because the room was quiet or because she was speaking almost directly into Blake’s ears.

“In a bit...can we just sit here for a little while?”

Smiling at the request, Weiss glanced Ruby’s way and found her still absorbed in her game.  Sometime while Weiss and Blake were talking, she’d made herself more comfortable in Weiss’ bed - propping up the pillows to lean against and getting underneath the covers since she must be cold.  

Neither of those things bothered Weiss in the slightest, which was surprising considering people often told her that she was bad at sharing.  She grew up in an environment where she never had to share anything, but she didn’t think that made her ‘bad’ at it.  That only made her...inexperienced with it.

Everything changed when she got to Beacon.  Ruby and Yang were used to sharing everything, and that mentality extended to their teammates.  These days, she didn’t think twice about Ruby using something of hers.  As far as she was concerned, all of her possessions were Ruby’s as well - that’s what partners were for.

Returning to the desk, she found work much easier to focus on now that the room had returned to its normal timbre.  Ruby played her game, Blake and Yang whispered about something, and Weiss sighed while turning a page in her notebook.

Between The Winter Challenge and her personal challenge, this break had been more eventful than expected.  Not that she was complaining.  The challenges set by the professors were actually rather fun, and Blake’s progress today was exciting.  For her to admit, out loud, that she liked Yang?  Months ago, no one could have fathomed something like that.  

Technically, she hadn’t explicitly admitted that she liked Yang, but she hadn’t denied it either.  That was good enough for Weiss, who was aware of how Blake used words - or the absence of them - as a means of trickery.  That was something they had in common, after all.

But the stage was set.  Blake had permission - not that she ever needed it, but she had it anyway.  Yang had the desire and courage.  All they needed was the perfect opportunity, the perfect setting, and the two of them could take their relationship to the next level.

“Oh man!” Yang suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention her way.  “The AchieveMen are playing in Vale!”

“Is...that a good thing?” Blake asked.

“It’s a great thing!  I’ve wanted to go to one of their concerts for forever.”  Setting her scroll in her lap, Yang shot Blake a look.  “What do you say - wanna go to a concert with me?”

Blake’s ears flicked in surprise, but she smiled.  “I’d love to.  I’ve never been to a concert before.”

“You’ve never been to a concert?”

“There weren’t exactly a lot of opportunities to do those things...before.”  Blake checked Weiss’ reaction to the mere reference to her life before Beacon, but Weiss ignored it entirely.  At this point, it didn’t matter, and Blake needed to know as much.

“When’s the concert?” Weiss asked instead.

“Oh, uh…”  Lifting her scroll, Yang scanned the page before the excitement dropped from her expression.  “Tomorrow night…”

When Ruby looked at Weiss, they both probably thought the same thing - tomorrow was Friday, and Friday was the last day of The Winter Challenge.  This year, like every year, a team tournament would be held in the afternoon and, based on their results in the challenges so far, they needed to win that tournament to win the week.  Considering it was them versus CRDL, SSSN, and half of JNPR, they had more than a good shot at winning.

“Maybe the tournament will be over by then?” Ruby offered, and Weiss immediately nodded.  If the tournament ended fast enough, maybe they could still make it to Vale in time?

“I don’t think so…plus, the concert is downtown.  No way we could get there in time.”  After reading through more of the details, Yang dropped her scroll onto the bed and leaned against the wall.  “Sold out anyway.”

That seemed to be the end of that idea, as Yang sighed and Blake leaned close to offer consolation.  Ruby, meanwhile, sent Weiss a disappointed look, and Weiss frowned.  As much as she and Yang bickered, she wanted to see Yang happy - and the idea of going to this concert clearly made her happy.  Plus, Blake had agreed to go with her.

As the room returned to normal, Weiss went back to her work, but her mind didn’t leave the conversation behind.  It bothered her that Yang couldn’t have what she wanted, even though it directly conflicted with something she wanted.

Competing in the final challenge was the logical answer with the greatest scholarly impact.  They could win - she knew they could - and then they would have access to the upper-level training rooms for the rest of the year.  But she couldn’t discount Yang’s wishes, so she pulled over her scroll and searched for ‘AchieveMen.’  The concert details were the first results to show up, and Yang was right - there wasn’t enough time to get from Beacon to downtown Vale unless they left in the early afternoon.

One finger tapped the edge of her scroll while she considered her options.  She didn’t like that Yang was disappointed, and she didn’t like that Ruby was disappointed by Yang’s disappointment.  Plus, the more she thought about it, the more this seemed like the perfect opportunity to complete her personal challenge...while giving up on another.

After her conversation with Blake, she felt like they were both finally ready to admit their feelings.  All they needed was a light push and a little privacy.  Maybe getting them off campus was the perfect solution.  Just the two of them...alone in the city…going to a concert together…they could dance together.  They could be as cute and couple-y as they wanted without worrying about running into someone they knew.  

That’s when Coco’s words from earlier replayed in her mind.  The Winter Challenge wasn’t about winning - it was about growing closer as a team.  That didn’t necessarily mean becoming better huntsmen, better strategists, or better at adapting to any situation.  It simply meant...growing closer as friends by sharing experiences with one another.  

Even though she considered the challenges to be pretty menial, she’d still grown closer to her teammates over the course of them.  Didn’t that mean that, in a sense, they already won?  Besides, this would give half of their team the chance to grow even closer…

Maybe Coco was right - maybe she needed to loosen up.

She hated losing, but who knew when an opportunity like this would come up again?  They didn’t exactly get a ton of time off from school, and their course work would only get worse once classes resumed.  By the time the end of the year rolled around, their weekends would be filled with off-campus hunts chaperoned by a professor.  This could be one of the last truly free moments they would have.

Ultimately, would she rather win The Winter Challenge, or see her teammates together and happy?  In the midst of that quandary, her gaze slid to Ruby and a simple question popped into her mind.  

What would Ruby do? 

That answer was blatantly obvious…

Since the show was sold out, tickets were ‘expensive,’ but she bought two and sent them to Yang’s scroll.  She swiveled in her seat when she heard the soft ‘ping’ of an incoming message from the bed behind her, and watched Yang grab the device to read the message.  Her eyes widened as she did so, then she dropped her scroll and looked at Weiss in shock.

“Are you serious??”

“Merry Christmas,” Weiss replied with a nod.  Jumping down from the bed, Yang walked over and wrapped her in a warm, tight hug.

“You’re the absolute best, Weiss!” she said before letting Weiss go and racing over to Blake and handing her the scroll.  After reading the screen, Blake looked at Weiss.

“You’re really ok with this?” she asked, but Weiss scoffed and crossed her arms.

“If this is what you want to do, then you should do it.  I’m not the only member of this team - I’m not the one who gets to decide what we do.”

After glancing at Ruby to confirm, and receiving an enthusiastic nod, Blake looked at Yang and smiled.

“Then…” she began, but Yang answered.

“Wanna go to a concert with me?”

The moment Blake nodded, Yang smiled and pulled herself back onto her bed so they could sit together.  The way they smiled at each other made Weiss even more assured with her decision, and she would feel completely ok with it if this ended up getting the two of them together.

“Why don’t you go out to dinner beforehand?” she suggested.  As soon as Yang’s eyes lit up at the idea, she turned back to her desk with a smirk.

“That sounds great!  What do you think?”

“If you want to…” Blake replied, but Yang chuckled.

“Of course I do!  We can try that restaurant you were talking about.”

“Really?”

The more Weiss eavesdropped on them planning their ‘date,’ the less she cared about forfeiting The Winter Challenge.  They could possibly still win if there was a major upset during the tournament, but she was fine with the results either way.  Ultimately, she just wanted everyone to be happy - that would make her happy.

Feeling a presence by her elbow, she looked up and smiled when she found Ruby standing beside her.  “Done with your game?” she asked, and Ruby smiled back at her.  

“For now!” Ruby’s gaze flitted towards Blake and Yang, who were in the midst of picking a restaurant and making a reservation.  “Do you want to work in the library?”

That sounded like a marvelous idea.  What better way to let Blake and Yang soak in the excitement of their upcoming date than by giving them privacy to plan it?

“I’d love to.” 

When Ruby grinned, Weiss packed up her schoolwork and made sure to grab the work they’d done on their paper so far.  While she did that, Ruby moved over to her drawers and tossed her notebooks and writing utensils into a bag.  “We’re heading to the library,” she announced while doing so.  “See you guys later!”

“See ya,” Yang replied while hardly looking up from the scroll in her hands.  Blake, however, caught Weiss’ gaze while she and Ruby left the room.  It was one last attempt to clarify her stance on the matter, and she nodded - silently voicing her approval of this newfound adventure - before following Ruby into the hall.  

Once the door closed, she thought less about her teammates and more on her partner and the work they’d done so far.

“We should be able to finish tonight,” she mused while following Ruby towards the library.  “There are  only a few short sections left to do, then you can help me proofread.” 

“With time to spare!” Ruby skipped once before settling back into a walk, and Weiss shook her head at the display of exuberance, which Ruby was somewhat famous for.  

“Yes, with time to spare,” Weiss replied while they left the dorm building behind and headed towards the library.

For several seconds, they walked in silence - a comfortable silence unlike what she grew up with.  That silence was cold...dangerous...like a bomb waiting to go off.  Silence with Ruby, while rare, was the opposite.  It made her happy, content, and relaxed.  If they didn’t talk for an entire day (although an impossibility), she wouldn’t sit on pins and needles waiting for the explosion on the horizon.  Instead, she would know Ruby was thinking about something, and that Ruby would tell her when ready.

She loved having a partner she knew so well.  And a partner who was easy to get along with, easy to talk to - just all around a wonderful person to spend time with.

“That was really nice of you.”

Pulled from her thoughts, Weiss found Ruby smiling at her - one of those bright, kind smiles that made her feel like she’d done something amazing, even though that wasn’t the case.

“Yang’s hard to think of gifts for,” she replied, and tried to brush off the feeling with a wave of indifference.  “She said she wanted to go, so this was easier than coming up with something else.”

“Yeah, but...you really wanted to win.” 

“I always want to win,” she admitted.  She didn’t mention that she still had a shot of winning at least one challenge this break, which was hopefully progressing as they spoke.  “That’s nothing new.”

“Still, it was really nice of you.  Yang hasn’t been to one of their concerts in forever - she’s always too busy or broke when they’re in Vale.”

Ruby made it sound like some incredible gesture of kindness, but Weiss didn’t see it that way.  To her, it was simply...moving forward with her goal of getting Blake and Yang together, while trying to see the two of them become even stronger and closer together than before.  Knowing she actually did something to make Yang happy though...that made her feel even better about letting their school challenge fall by the wayside.

She might never admit it, but this feeling could be better than winning The Winter Challenge.  Something about it was fulfilling and rewarding in a way schoolwork had never been, regardless of her results.  And with something so simple...taking care of her teammates, who she wanted the best for anyway...it was something she could do again, and something she wanted to do again.

“I think it’ll be great for them to spend more time together,” she admitted while they walked up the steps to the library.  

“Agreed.”  When Ruby held the door, Weiss smiled and dipped her head while walking through.  “Yang really likes spending time with Blake,” Ruby added as she returned to Weiss’ side.  “I don’t think she’s ever liked someone so much.”

The comment drew Weiss’ gaze, and she suddenly wondered how much Ruby knew.  From the small, blissful smile on her face, it was difficult to tell.  Did she mean that in a friendly way, or had she noticed that Blake was different from the people Yang liked in the past?

“You mean Yang’s never had such a close friend before?” Weiss prodded.  

“Blake isn’t just a friend to Yang.” 

Hearing that, she stopped walking and looked at Ruby.  Did Ruby already know?  Had Yang told her?  Or had she figured it out on her own?

“Blake’s her partner,” Ruby added.  “And Yang would do anything for her.” 

A smile slipped onto Weiss’ lips at the response, which hinted at everything she suspected while maintaining Ruby’s sheen of innocence.  Maybe Ruby wasn’t quite there yet, but...she was close.

“Like how we’re partners?” Weiss teased, only to laugh when Ruby nodded and skipped over to a table.  

“Exactly like how we’re partners!” 

The certainty in the response made Weiss laugh again.  Ruby didn’t know what she was implying with that answer, but she didn’t mind or care.  She appreciated the sentiment that the two of them were on the same level of partnership as Yang and Blake.  She liked to think so, especially as they continued their training and found more and more moments of pure, unexplainable connectivity.

“Why’s that so funny??” Ruby asked while pulling out the seat next to Weiss.  

“It’s funny to think you like me exactly how Yang likes Blake.” 

“But I do!”

Weiss chuckled again.  “Oh do you?” 

“I definitely do.”  When Ruby nodded, Weiss decided to cut her partner a break.  

“Ok, I believe you,” she acquiesced.  The response mollified Ruby, who hummed and pulled her notebooks out of her bag.  Weiss did the same, but kept an eye on Ruby and a smile in place.

Now that Ruby brought it up - on her own volition, no less - Weiss couldn’t help wondering what that would be like.  How would Ruby behave with someone she liked in that way?  How would she change?  Would she change?

While Weiss was interested in knowing the answer, she was also content to wait before finding out.  The idea of Ruby liking someone didn’t sit well with her - not at all.  In fact, she’d go so far as to say she didn’t enjoy the idea one bit.  Not only could she think of no one worthy of Ruby’s attention, but any relationship would cut into the time the two of them spent together.  That time was more valuable to Weiss than she would ever let on, and she would guard it as much as possible.

Of course, if someone made Ruby truly happy, then she would try to be supportive.  Big emphasis on try.  Over time, she might be able to accept it so long as her partner time with Ruby wasn’t impacted.  Even then, the idea of Ruby becoming romantically involved with someone else didn’t feel right.

But that was an issue for the distant future, hopefully.  In the meantime, she would covet as much as Ruby’s time as possible.  Ruby was her partner - her best friend - and she didn’t want anyone else to get in the way of that.

“I have these for you to read over,” Ruby mused while sliding over her notebook.  “And I’ll start reading what you did?” 

“Sure.”  After swapping notebooks, Weiss gave Ruby another smile before going through their work.  Surprisingly, she loved working on this paper together.  Ruby had gone out of her way to pull her weight but, also, she loved more opportunities to accomplish something together.  A ten-page paper might be trivial in the big picture, but it was still their paper.

“I love the introduction,” Ruby announced after reading the first paragraph.  “Is it ok if I add a thought?” 

“Of course.”  Weiss smiled while Ruby wrote her thoughts in the margin of the page, to be discussed later.  

Sometimes, she felt like Ruby could have been paired with anyone at Beacon and still been successful.  But there were small moments, like this one, where she believed that she might be the best partner for Ruby.  At least, she hoped she was the best partner for Ruby...because Ruby was the best partner for her.