Oh God...She's Hot - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

The next morning arrived early, with the sun shining through the window and the sounds of the city drifting up to them.  Cars honked, buses rumbled down the streets, and a radio played from a nearby apartment.

None of that bothered Weiss or Blake, who wasted no time getting ready for the day.  Even though their only appointment wasn’t until later in the afternoon, Weiss was eager to get dressed and leave the room behind.  Yang and Ruby’s soft chatter already filtered through the door, confirming that the duo were early risers and providing ample encouragement to join then.

“Wish I brought something else to wear...” Blake muttered while running a brush through her hair and looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Weiss wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.  The outfits she packed were...fine.  They were functional, reasonably fashionable, and appropriate for the weekend she expected.  Now that she was here, however, she wished she had brought something a little more...appealing. 

“Maybe we should go shopping today,” she suggested, straightening the hem of her shirt before accepting her appearance with a nod.

“That sounds good.  Maybe we can find some cute new stores for later too.”

“Exactly.”  After checking that she had everything in her purse, Weiss waited for Blake to grab her bag from the floor and do the same.  “Ready?” she asked after Blake nodded and zipped it closed.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Armed with that response, Weiss smiled, opened the door, and walked out of the room.  She made it only a step, however, before the other bathroom door opened and Yang walked out...wearing nothing but a towel.

“Oh hey!” she said upon seeing them, ignoring their matching deer-in-headlights expressions.  “Did you sleep alright?”

Yang directed the question to Blake at the same time she swept her damp hair behind her shoulders, giving everyone a very clear view of her collarbone.

“Um, yes.”  

If Blake was trying to look away, it wasn’t working.  Instead, her gaze slipped lower and lower until Weiss felt morally obligated to nudge her elbow.

“Yes, I did,” Blake spit out as her gaze snapped back to Yang’s eyes.  “Thanks for asking.”

“That’s too bad.”  Not at all uncomfortable holding a conversation in nothing but a towel, Yang leaned forward - silently daring Blake’s gaze to drop again - and lowered her voice to a whisper.  “I was hoping you’d want my bed tonight.” 

When Yang pulled away and winked, Blake managed a small laugh and deep blush.

“I’m gonna dry my hair real quick,” Yang added shortly after, gesturing towards her room.  “But I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Once Blake nodded, Yang smiled and headed towards her bedroom.  She didn’t step through the doorway, however, without throwing one last glance over her shoulder and catching Blake staring after her.  The attention - or obvious attraction - made her smile grow as she ducked into her room.

“I was wrong,” Blake whispered as soon as Yang disappeared.  “I wasn’t ready.”

“You don’t say,” Weiss teased, earning a sigh and eyeroll from her friend while dragging her further into the living room.

“Weiss!” Ruby called out from the kitchen as soon as she spotted them, and Weiss’ heart jumped into high speed soon after.  Wearing a pair of sweats and t-shirt, Ruby somehow looked even hotter than last night.  Was it the messy hair, which looked like a style at the same time it looked like something Weiss wished to claim credit for?

“I wanted to make you breakfast in bed,” Ruby admitted.  “Since you’re already up, let me make you breakfast in the kitchen!  Is an omelet ok?  We have all this stuff to put in it.”

When Ruby waved towards the counter, Weiss looked over the bar and found multiple bowls arranged near the stovetop.  Each contained a different ingredient, ranging from onions to peppers to several types of cheese.

“I didn’t know what you’d like,” Ruby explained before Weiss asked if this was a typical weekend meal.  “So I bought some of everything.”

“That’s sweet of you…”

“Naw, it’s the least I could do.  We haven’t seen each other in like fifteen years, right?  So...one topping for each year.”  

With a wave towards the ingredients and a big grin, Ruby looked so unabashedly happy with the thoughtful gesture that Weiss couldn’t help but smile in return.  This was more like the Ruby she remembered - exceedingly sweet, kind, and willing to go out of the way for others, even if that meant buying every omelet ingredient known to mankind.

“In that case...these ones.”

When Weiss reached over the counter and separated three different bowls from the group, Ruby rubbed her hands together.  

“Your wish is my command,” she added before grabbing the bowls and turning on the stove.  “What about you, Blake?” she asked while waiting for the pan to heat up.  “Want an omelet too?  I’ll make one for you!”

“That sounds great, actually.”  

“Yeah?”  Ruby’s cheshire grin suggested she was even happier to make two omelets than one, which made Blake smile as she sat on the barstool next to Weiss.  “What do you want in yours?”

“Cheese, onions, and peppers, please.”  

“You got it.”  After pulling those ingredients aside, Ruby tossed Weiss’ choices into the frying pan and gave them a good stir.  “How’d you guys sleep?” she asked at the same time, glancing up to check their response. 

“I slept pretty well,” Blake answered before turning towards Weiss.  “What about you?”

“I slept really well.”  

“Good!  I was worried you’d be uncomfortable or something.”

“Not at all.  Your bed’s very comfortable.”  

Weiss noticed Blake’s brow rise at the comment, but Ruby just bobbed her head and poured scrambled eggs into the pan.  While Ruby was distracted by that, Weiss gently slapped Blake’s leg and mouthed ‘what?’ to which Blake playfully shrugged and mouthed ‘nothing’ in return.  

There was nothing wrong with admitting that someone’s bed was comfortable.  Beds were supposed to be comfortable.  In that sense, Weiss was only stating the obvious - an argument Blake would understand if she weren’t so busy being smug.

As fortune had it, that smugness didn’t last long.  In fact, it evaporated the instant Yang walked into the room wearing a form-fitting tee that accented her...assets...and tight jeans that highlighted her...other asset. 

“So you’re both moving here?” Yang asked while rubbing a towel through her hair, oblivious to the amber eyes glued upon her every move.

“Next month,” Weiss answered since Blake just lost the ability to speak.

“That’s pretty soon!  You excited?”

“Not entirely…”  

“But you’ll be back in Vale!” Ruby added while setting a perfect omelet on the counter in front of Weiss.  “That won’t be so bad, right?  We can hang out like we used to!  Only I won’t make you play with blocks anymore, promise.”

Spending time with Ruby sounded incredible.  After so long apart, and after one of them grew up to be a near-literal goddess, Weiss wanted to know what type of person Ruby was now.  Besides the obvious - hot at first sight.

“That sounds nice,” she replied, and Ruby grinned before starting Blake’s omelet next.

“Yeah, she’ll hang out with you once she stops living at the track,” Yang added while taking the barstool beside Blake.  “Don’t you have a meet this morning?”

“In a couple hours,” Ruby answered as Weiss gave her a curious look.

“You’re on the track team?”

“Yeah!  I’ve been running for like...seven years now.”

“You must enjoy it then.”

“It’s pretty fun,” Ruby replied with a small laugh.  “Keeps me busy and in good shape!”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Yang added.  “She’s team captain and an all-star.  Best in the city.”

“Yang...” Ruby whined while her sister raised her hands.  Weiss, meanwhile, looked at Ruby in a whole new light.

“You’re the team captain?” 

“I’m one of the captains,” Ruby explained, waving the spatula as if that erased her accomplishment.  “We have a few.”

“She’s the only person who’s ever been captain all four years,” Yang pointed out, much to Ruby’s dismay.  “And she bosses around all the young kids like a pro.”

“I don’t boss them around - I help them.”

“Same difference,” Yang teased.  From her smile, however, it was clear how proud she was of Ruby’s achievements.  

Gorgeous, sweet, considerate, successful...and a leader?  Weiss remembered holding Ruby’s hand to cross the street, or whenever a curb came into view so she wouldn’t trip and fall.  Apparently, she didn’t need that help anymore.  Now, she was the one helping others.

“I never would’ve guessed,” Weiss admitted before taking the first bite of her breakfast, only to look down at her plate in surprise.  “Wow.  This is really good.”  

When she pointed her fork towards the fluffy omelet with just the perfect amount of fillings inside, Ruby beamed.

“Thanks!  Had to learn how to cook since Yang’s terrible at it.”

“Hey!” Yang protested while Ruby slid Blake’s omelet onto another plate and set it on the countertop.  “I’m a perfectly decent cook,” Yang added while Blake accepted her breakfast with a soft, “Thank you.”

“Uh huh,” Ruby teased, wiping her hands on the dishtowel before setting them on the counter.  “What can you cook?”

“Plenty of things!  Usually if they have microwave instructions.”

When Ruby laughed and started cleaning up the kitchen, Weiss shared an amused look with Blake before eating the rest of her breakfast.  Which Ruby made for her.  Right in front of her, actually.  And it was delicious.

“What do you think, Weiss?” Yang asked, walking into the kitchen and shaking Ruby’s shoulders.  “She’s hot and she cooks.”

“Yang…”

“What?” Yang asked with feigned innocence.  “I’m just pointing out that you’re a catch.”  When Ruby whipped the dishtowel at her, Yang ducked and whispered towards Weiss, “She’s a catch, right?  Tell her she’s a catch.”

“Ignore her, please,” Ruby said, sending Weiss an apologetic look before batting her sister on the head.  “Apparently she hit her head on something this morning.”

“Your hand just hit me on the head!” Yang pointed out, and laughed when Ruby sent her an unamused look.  “Anyway...Ruby said you’ve got a few places to look at this weekend?” 

“Just two,” Weiss answered, though the subject change didn’t escape her notice.  “One this afternoon and one tomorrow morning.”

“Only two?  Shouldn’t you look at as many as you can?”

“We already looked at hundreds online…”  

“Jeez,” Yang replied, chuckling while Ruby brushed past her to clear away more dishes.  “How’d you ever narrow it down?”

“We came up with a list of criteria we were looking for - price range, distance to work, etc.  Then we compared each listing to those criteria and assigned a ranking based on how well they fit.  After going through everything in the right area, we had two choices left - those are the two we set up appointments to see.”

The longer Weiss’ explanation dragged on, the wider Yang’s eyes grew.  Once Weiss stopped talking, Yang laughed.

“That sounds exactly like something you would do.”

“Actually...it was my idea.”

Blake gave an embarrassed smile with the admission - though why she would be embarrassed about being organized, Weiss had no idea - and Yang stared at her for several seconds before grinning.

“How come when I think Weiss did it, it’s like ‘of course,’ but imagining you coming up with that is really hot?”

Just like that, Blake’s blush returned, and she suddenly found her empty plate exceedingly interesting.

“I’m glad you value efficient processes…” 

“And it would still be hot if Weiss came up with it,” Ruby butted in on Weiss’ behalf, offering Weiss yet another smile while Yang waved the compliment away.

“Bottom line, you’ve only got one appointment today,” she summarized before leaning towards Blake, finally prompting Blake’s gaze back to hers.  “Want to explore with me until then?  I can show you all the cool places to eat or shop or whatever you’re interested in.”

From Blake’s hopelessly-smitten smile, that offer sounded like a dream come true.  

“Weiss, you can totally come too,” Yang added as an afterthought, which is exactly what Weiss would be if she joined them.

“Or you could come to my meet!” Ruby suggested almost immediately.  “Then we can catch up with them for your appointment.”

Relegate herself to third wheel or spend the day with Ruby?  One of those options was clearly superior to the other, but their original plan had been to explore the city together.  Of course, they could explore separately and share their findings later on.

“What do you think?” Weiss asked Blake, who managed a nonchalant shrug and a not-at-all subtle glance Yang’s way.

“Whatever you want.  We have all day tomorrow too.”

The response said everything Weiss needed to know, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how enamored Blake was.  Sure, Yang looked like she just stepped out of a magazine, with the smile and the hair and the revealing top, but...well, who was Weiss to judge.  If Blake wanted to throw herself at Yang, she should have at it.  

“Then watching your track meet sounds fun,” Weiss told Ruby, who lit up at the response.

“Really?  That’s awesome!  You won’t be disappointed, I swear - I’ll make sure you have a good time!”

“Hear that, Weiss?”  Still leaning on the counter, Yang winked at Weiss.  “Ruby will make sure you have a good time.”

The wink changed the meaning of that sentence, but Weiss did her best to ignore the suggestion and focus on what Ruby actually offered.  Watching a track meet hadn’t been in the plans, but this weekend was already off to a strange and unexpected start.  They still had the afternoon and all of tomorrow to explore, so she felt comfortable spending a few hours reconnecting with Ruby.  Besides, if the two of them were going to hang out again in the future, they should reconnect more.

“If they’re going to the meet,” Yang added, walking out of the kitchen to stand beside Blake.  “We can head out whenever you’re ready?”

When Yang motioned towards the door, Blake wasted no time standing up and nodding.

“I’m ready now, actually.”

“It’s a little cold out,” Yang said after looking over Blake’s outfit.  “Did you bring a jacket?  Or you can borrow one of mine.”

“She was wearing a jacket last night,” Ruby pointed out, only to roll her eyes when Yang waved a hand for her to shush.

“I do have one.”  Even though Yang looked moderately disappointed by the response, Blake backed towards the room so she could grab her coat.  “I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing!”  

While Blake hurried into the room, Yang turned towards Ruby and raised a hand to suggest Ruby just ruined one of her plans.  Unphased by the response, Ruby shook her head and smiled at Weiss.

“I’ll grab my track stuff then we can head over to campus?”

“Sure.” 

“But where’d your jacket go?  I’ll get it for you!”  Before Weiss protested or even moved from her seat, Ruby rushed around the counter and touched her hand to keep her in place.  “Just tell me where it is, and I’ll grab it.”

“I put it on the desk chair.”

“Got it!  Or I will get it.”  

With a light laugh, Ruby headed into her room.  Weiss, meanwhile, watched her go with a smile - a smile that Blake caught when she emerged from the room wearing her coat.  She didn’t say anything - not this time, at least - but she gave Weiss an amused look before returning to Yang.

“Now I’m ready,” she said, only to blush when Yang checked her out before nodding.

“You definitely are.”  With a smile that could probably convince Blake that wearing less was more, Yang motioned for Blake to follow her out of the apartment.  “We’ll see you later, Weiss!” she added once they stepped into the hall, but Blake caught Weiss’ eyes before leaving.

“Text if you need anything,” she said, and Weiss nodded while waving them away.

“Have fun,” she replied at the same time, noticing Blake’s gaze return to Yang before the door even closed.  Their voices and footsteps moved away from the apartment over the next few seconds, but eventually that faded into nothing.

In any other circumstance, Weiss would feel guilty for making Blake spend the day with someone she just met.  In this circumstance, however, Weiss certainly hadn’t twisted Blake’s arm.  If anything, Blake was the one who ditched her.

“Alright!”  

With a duffle bag in one hand and Weiss’ jacket in the other, Ruby walked out of her room and reminded Weiss that she didn’t mind the change in plans.

“A jacket for the lady,” Ruby said while handing the jacket to Weiss, who accepted it with a small smile and stood to put it on.  “Promise we’ll make it to your apartment thingy in time,” Ruby added as she grabbed a pair of sneakers and sat on the sofa to tie them.  “Then we can explore tonight or tomorrow if you want.”

“That sounds perfect.”

Ideally, Weiss wanted to get a good feel for the neighborhood of their two apartment choices, but that wouldn’t take long.  Besides, as part of Blake’s ‘hot’ research process, they had already looked at every business in the immediate vicinities and mapped distances to each.  But working off of a map and walking the streets were two different things.

“Ready?” 

When Ruby hopped to her feet and grabbed her bag, Weiss took a second to appreciate Ruby’s appearance before nodding.  She never would have thought she’d be so into the sweatpants and track jacket look, but...Ruby made it work.  That became even clearer when she followed Ruby to the door and took the opportunity to check out Ruby from behind.

“Have you ever been to a track meet before?”

Ruby nearly caught Weiss staring at her ass, but Weiss lifted her gaze just in time.

“I haven’t,” she answered as they headed to the elevators.

“I’m not sure how fun they are to watch,” Ruby admitted while leading them into the next available elevator and pressing the button for the lobby.  “Some people say they’re boring, but I think some of the events are pretty cool.”

“It’s probably more fun when you have someone to cheer on.”

“You’ll cheer for me, right?” Ruby asked with such a hopeful look that Weiss laughed as they walked into the lobby.

“Of course, Ruby.  Who else would I cheer for?”

“I dunno...maybe you know someone on one of the other teams.”

“I don’t know anyone who runs track.”

“Except me!”  

Pausing at the statement, and the certainty behind it, Weiss felt a happy warmth spread through her chest and a smile lift her lips.  Regardless of how long they had been apart and how much they had changed, it still felt like they knew each other in a strange, deeply-rooted way.  They might be nearly strangers - at the same time, they were close friends.

“Except you,” she agreed, and basked in Ruby’s smile until another blush took up residence on her cheeks.  

They were friends, but she had never felt this flustered around a friend before.

“Campus isn’t far - want to walk?”

“Do you usually walk?” Weiss asked while following Ruby away from the apartment building.  

“I usually run,” Ruby replied with a laugh.  “But I won’t make you do that.  Today, at least.”

When Ruby waggled her brow at the comment, Weiss smiled and shook her head as she fell into step by Ruby’s side.  Now that the day had begun, the city had taken on more life than last night.  Plenty of cars raced down the street, and more than a few pedestrians hurried about their weekend plans.  

The bustling atmosphere felt like Atlas, yet the buildings and weather made everything different.  Living here as a child, she really only knew the neighborhood she grew up in and the elementary school she attended.  Anything outside of those bubbles went far beyond her at that age, so returning now was an experience in nostalgia yet adventure.  And that sensation didn’t apply only to Vale.

Glancing at Ruby, who set a slow, easy-to-match pace with those long legs of hers, Weiss smiled.

“Still can’t believe you’re here,” Ruby said, shaking her head and chuckling to herself.

“Why’s that?”

“It just...feels like a crazy dream.”  Turning to the side, Ruby gave a heartwarming smile.  “It’s been a long time.”

“It has been.”  

When Weiss returned the smile, Ruby held her gaze for several long seconds before motioning left at the next intersection.  A short way down the next block, Ruby laughed.

“Remember that time I tried to sneak into your class for a day?  And Ms. Goodwitch immediately caught me?”

“I still don’t know why you thought that would work,” Weiss replied with an amused scoff.  “Wearing that ridiculous hat only made you more conspicuous.”

“I thought it would hide me!” Ruby said before laughing at the memory.  “I just really wanted to spend the day with you, even if it meant being in a different class.”

The admission warmed Weiss’ heart, and she snuck a smile at Ruby while they crossed the next street and entered Vale University’s campus.  Looking back on it, she understood that Ruby just wanted to spend time together.  At the time, however, she thought it was a dumb decision made by a young, immature girl.

She wished that she had shown more patience to Ruby back then, but she’d been nothing more than a child.  A difficult child, at that.  Having friends wasn’t something that happened for her until...well, until Ruby started following her around.  Even then, she didn’t want Ruby’s friendship at first.  That changed over time, and with Ruby’s persistence, but still...she could have been friendlier.

“Pretty sure I gave Yang a heart attack when you messaged me,” Ruby added while leading them along landscaped university paths.  “I might’ve screamed right in her ear.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!  You have no idea how excited I was to see your name pop up.”  Thinking about that moment, Ruby grinned.  “I’ve always wanted to see you again, and there you were!  Messaging out of the blue, asking to visit - it sounded too good to be true.  Now you’re here and this feels too good to be true.  And when you move back to Vale?”

Ruby chuckled and shook her head at that, leaving the answer to Weiss’ interpretation.

Hearing how excited Ruby had been about their reunion almost made Weiss feel bad, but she had also looked forward to this trip more than she might have otherwise.  While she couldn’t say with as much certainty that Ruby was the cause...maybe there was a reason she reached out to Ruby as soon as Blake voiced opposition to paying for a hotel.  She could have convinced Blake it was the only reasonable option, like she had so many times in the past.  Instead, she immediately let it go and suggested staying with the girl she hadn’t seen in years.  

At the time, she convinced herself it was the next-best option.  Now, she couldn’t deny that she was happy to be here, and that being around Ruby was exciting and new at the same time as comforting and familiar.  

“I’m sorry I didn’t do a better job of keeping in touch,” she still said, but Ruby shook her head.

“How would we have kept in touch?  It’s not like we had phones that young.”

“Yes, but when we got older...I could’ve reached out sooner.”

“Water under the bridge.”  Ruby’s smile made it clear that she harbored no negative feelings towards Weiss for the years of silence.  “Besides,” she added while they waited for one of the campus trolleys to pass.  “It’s not like I reached out to you either.  I wanted to, and I thought about you a lot, but I always figured our paths just weren’t meant to cross again or something.”  

Unperturbed by the admission, Ruby shrugged and let the subject drift away.  Weiss, however, grasped onto the knowledge and held on tight.  

What did it mean that Ruby thought about her a lot?  Was it more of an ‘I wonder what Weiss is up to?’ type of thing or something closer to an ‘I miss being friends’ feeling?

“I missed you too,” she said, only for her eyes to widen when she realized Ruby hadn’t actually said that.  

“I mean,” she added as soon as Ruby looked at her.  “I missed you a lot when I first moved, and I’d think about you every so often and wonder what you were up to now.  What you were like now.  And you’re...you’re doing really well.”

She didn’t know if she made that better or worse.  All she knew was that Ruby smiled at her for a long, long time before finally speaking.

“I missed you too, Weiss.”  

Just like that, Ruby prompted another blush onto Weiss’ cheeks, and she stared straight forward rather than get lost in those disarmingly beautiful eyes.  Ruby had always been willing to express her feelings...and apparently that hadn’t changed.  

It was that openness and eagerness for affection that made Ruby the first person outside of family that Weiss had ever hugged.  The first person whose hand Weiss would willingly hold.  And the first person to tell her that they loved her - in a platonic way, of course.

Being around Ruby again only reminded her of how hard it had been to move away.  How terrible those first few weeks and months had been.  But that was all in the past now, as they had both grown up and somehow found their way back into each other’s lives.  Even if she didn’t want to live in Vale...being Ruby’s friend again might make the relocation worth it.

“Here we are.”

After skipping a few steps forward, Ruby made a grand wave towards the entrance of the track-and-field stadium.  From the number of people milling about, the event would soon be underway.  Family members and friends mingled in the bleachers, a line waited to order snacks at the concession stand, and the competing teams roamed around the track and center of the field.

“Wow…” Weiss mumbled while following Ruby further into the stadium.  The members of the track teams inevitably drew her gaze - all young, athletic, attractive girls wearing tank tops and snug shorts that showed off their enviable muscles.

It didn’t take much longer to realize that Weiss had just stepped into Ruby’s realm, and Ruby was the queen of this world.  Only that explained the glances, smiles, and waves sent her way.  Only that explained the energy funneling towards her, as if everyone had secretly only shown up to see her.

Obviously, Weiss wasn’t the only one who saw Ruby’s many attractive qualities.  And she had a feeling she was about to witness her childhood-friend-turned-heartthrob get swarmed by dozens of attractive, age-appropriate girls...