#capedinred

Ruby turned her head and practically shouted at her partner, “We’re almost home! You’re going to absolutely love spending Christmas with my family!”

Weiss winced at the volume. “Don’t yell in my ear! You’re right beside me.”

“Sorry, but I can’t help but yell! I’m literally dying from anticipation!” Ruby threw her head back and her black-cherry hair whipped around her crown.

Sarcasm dripping from every word, “You’re rather animated for someone whose literally about to die.”

A scarcely suppressed scream leaked from Ruby’s tightly pressed lips. Her rosy cheeks swelled to the breaking point. Finally, she exploded, “This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

Weiss smiled lightly as her partner continued blathering. “There’s going to be so many people! You, me, Yang, Blake, Dad, and Uncle Qrow are all going to be there for Christmas! It’s going to be a full house for the first time since forever!”

“I’m just concerned about sleeping arrangements. Is there going to be enough room at your house?” The most she knew about the Xiao-Long-Rose household was that Ruby and Yang shared a bedroom. It was most likely the reason why both sisters voted for bunkbeds.

Laughing, “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Yang and me already decided before she went ahead. She and Blake are going to sleep in the guest room.” She threw an arm over Weiss’ shoulder, “While we share Yang’s and my old room! It’ll be like our bunk beds in Beacon, minus the bunk!”

Before Weiss could respond, Ruby suddenly declared, “There’s our stop!”

They dismounted from the bus and began to walk through the woods. Dry leaves crunched and brittle twigs snapped beneath their feet. Ruby slung a backpack full of her clothes over her shoulders and began to pull a wheeled suitcase with Weiss’ wardrobe. For her part, the heiress carried a luggage bag with presents she had discreetly wrapped while still at Beacon. This had been a monumental task in itself, given the red-clad girl’s playful attempts to peek over her shoulder.

Ruby led the way through the woods, following a well-worn path. As they trekked, Weiss found her mind wandering to the holiday festivities in the past. She couldn’t clearly remember a time when she had spent Christmas with her entire family.

Weiss Schnee never really cared for Christmas. Her father was too busy to celebrate with the family and Winter was usually on a mission. Presents were never anything more than the most expensive toys and all the flashiest accessories. These were things that a rich girl like Weiss could buy at any time of the year. Her family left all of the decorations to the servants. Even decorating the tree was taken care of by servants. As such, the tree was always perfectly decorated with not a single ornament out of place. One ill-fated Christmas, Weiss attempted a single rebellious act by hanging an ugly, hand-painted ornament on the lowest branch. The ornament was discovered later and thrown in the trash by Mr. Schnee. She remembered the sound of glass breaking when it landed in the garbage bin. That was the day when Christmas ceased to matter for young Weiss.

A chilled breeze slid across her cheeks like a frozen dagger, drawing red to sullen cheeks.

Without warning, Ruby’s crimson cloak wrapped around her body. The young girl’s shoulders jostled with the heiress. Warm cheeks rubbed against her frozen face. Weiss almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden contact.

“What do you think you’re doing, dolt?!” she instinctively snapped.

Being accustomed to Weiss’ quick temper, Ruby grinned from ear to ear, “I think I’m warming up my partner. You looked cold, so I thought that we could share my cloak.”

The sight of that cherub face smiling caused heat to rise to Weiss’ cheeks. Turning her reddening expression away, she stammered, “Ju—just give me warning next time. You almost made me drop your presents.”

Sweet laughter erupted from Ruby. She began to talk excitedly about her plans for the holidays.

Weiss found herself watching her partner closely. She couldn’t help it, being this near to the adorable Huntress. Cerulean eyes lingered on the gentle curve of Ruby’s angelic face. Her brilliant silver eyes lighting up in happiness. The endearing dimples on her round cheeks. And those puckered pink lips. They looked so soft.

Before long, a humble one story house came into view. Nestled at the foot of a mighty oak, it looked positively ordinary. Warm orange lights invited the two girls toward it. Beside the house was a garage with open doors. Weiss could hear the sounds of power tools in use coming from the garage.

“Oh, oh, oh! That must be Dad!” Ruby exclaimed hurriedly.

She opened her mouth as wide as it would go and screamed, “DAD! WE’RE OUT HERE!”

Weiss thought her ears would rupture.

A second later, the power tools quieted. A tall man with blonde hair emerged from the garage, wiping soiled hands on a grease rag. As soon as amethyst eyes landed on the girls, his chiseled face broke out into a wide grin. Even if Ruby hadn’t identified him as her father, it would have been an easy connection to make. His smile was exactly the same as Yang and Ruby’s.

“So there’s my second daughter!” Taiyang boomed. “Get over here and hug your old man!”

Ruby quickly dropped the suitcases and shrugged her backpack onto the ground. Weiss carefully set her box next to her luggage.

The quick crimson girl had already taken off running toward her father, red rose petals fluttering in her wake. He spread his arms wide and braced for impact. Ruby leaped into Taiyang’s muscular arms. Parent and child embraced each other, sharing an identical smile. They began to chat excitedly about holiday plans.

Weiss watched and wondered what it would be like to have such a loving relationship with her father.

“Hey, Weiss!” Ruby waved at the distant heiress, “C’mere and meet my dad!”

Striding to the aged Huntsman, Weiss noted that there wasn’t any lack of wrinkles on his face. The crinkles around his eyes and mouth spoke of many years of laughter. Deep lines across his brow revealed times of great stress and worry. This was a man who has lived through the loss of two lovers and kept moving forward. The strength of character he must possess was admirable.

He furiously scrubbed his calloused hands with the grease rag, and then across the front of his pant legs. “Sorry!” Taiyang laughed, “I was just working on my motorcycle, so my hands aren’t exactly clean!”

Weiss held out her slender hand and it nearly disappeared within Taiyang’s large grip. She found herself falling into the expected cordiality that had been rigorously installed during her strict childhood. Her voice sounded robotic to her own ears.

“Welcome to my humble home, Weiss!” Taiyang greeted her with a broad smile.

Bowing her snowcapped crown, “Thank you for welcoming me to your home, Mr. Xiao Long. I hope I’m not intruding in your family’s festivities.”

Amethyst eyes flashed, “I think you’re misunderstanding something here, Weiss. You aren’t intruding on family…”

Without warning, Taiyang pulled Weiss into a great big bear hug. Her arms were pinned to her sides and her feet left the ground. The heiress’ mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. The burly man squeezed the petite girl and declared.

“…you are family!”

For a moment, Weiss didn’t know how to react. Then she let herself relax and enjoy the embrace. The warmth in the hold was unlike anything she has ever felt coming from a parental figure. It was comforting, hearing those words and feeling the strength in his arms. She had no doubt that he meant everything he said.

In the minute since they’ve met, Taiyang has made Weiss feel more at home than her own father ever did.

Releasing Weiss from the embrace, Taiyang placed his powerful hands on her small shoulders. “Take it from me, young lady. When you fight and eat alongside another person for long enough, they become your family. You’re my daughter’s partner, and the two of you have been through thick and thin. The bonds between you girls have been forged in blood and fire; nothing will break them. Team RWBY is just like my old team, Team STRQ! Two generations of Hunters in one house!”

He laughed, “Oh, and speaking of house, it’s time you girls got warmed up beside the fire. Go inside, I’ll grab your stuff.”

Standing dazed, Weiss almost didn’t feel Ruby’s hand grasp her own. The warmth in the younger girl’s grip brought her back to reality.

“Come on, Weiss! The fireplace is the best spot in the house to get warm! Lemme show you it!” Ruby insisted as she led Weiss through the front door.

As soon as the heiress stepped inside, a wave of warm air buffered against her body, banishing the specter of winter that clung to her bones. It smelled of pine sap and roasted chestnuts. The living room was very roomy, with a large sofa couch, a coffee table, and a recliner. All of the furniture was pointed toward the centerpiece; a red-brick fireplace filled with crackling flames and burning logs. A broad Christmas tree sat in the corner, with healthy green pines and a thick trunk.

Ruby immediately sat in front of the roaring fire and patted the space beside her. Weiss eased herself onto the floor and felt the warmth soaking into her aching legs. The trip had been hell on her heels and the heat was heavenly.

Cerulean eyes passed over the fireplace. There were eight stockings lined up above the fireplace. Each one had only a single letter initial.

STRQ and RWBY.

The first four stockings appeared to be older and worn, obviously used through many past Christmases.

Weiss noted that the “S” was embroidered with white rose petals.

Ruby followed Weiss’ gaze and explained quietly, “The ‘S’ stands for Summer Rose, my mom. The ‘T’ is for Dad. ‘R’ and ‘Q’ is for Raven and Qrow Branwen, Yang’s mom and our uncle.”

Silver eyes lingered on the first stocking for a long time. A nostalgic expression settled on her cherub face. A soft sigh slipped from slightly parted lips.

Suddenly shaking herself, Ruby leaped up.

“I sure hope I don’t gotta tell you who owns each of the RWBY socks.” Her signature smile spread across her face once more. She removed the second “R” and “W” stockings. They appeared to be full of candy.

Ruby handed Weiss the “W” stocking and declared, “A family tradition is that we always have candy in our stockings! There’s no chocolate though, because that would melt from the fire.”

Inside Weiss’ stocking were candy canes. She carefully unwrapped one, trying not to break the shape. Upon successfully freeing one candy, she stuck an end in her mouth and enjoyed the sweet taste. Then she noticed the “B” and “Y” stockings were empty.

“Yang and Blake arrived before us,” Weiss began, “so where are they?”

Ruby shrugged, “Maybe they’re unpacking in the guest room.”

A barely suppressed spout of giggling came from behind, followed by a quiet rustle from the same direction. Ruby and Weiss turned around.

Yang was sneaking up to their backs with one hand over her mouth. Lilac eyes glimmered mischievously. She was wearing a typical Christmas sweater. Blake leaned in a doorway that led to the bedrooms, her arms crossed and her brunette head shaking in exasperation. The bow on her head was absent, leaving her feline ears exposed. Apparently, she felt very safe here.

The golden haired girl lunged the remaining distance and grappled her younger sister. They fell in a tangle of kicking legs and elbow strikes and noogies. Weiss stood up and strode over to the faunus. They watched the sisters fight playfully from a safe distance.

“About time you girls got here!” Yang cackled as she wrestled Ruby, “We’ve been waiting forever!”

“Yang, Blake!” Ruby exclaimed between grunts of exertion. “The gang’s all here!”

The sisters finally disengaged from the fight and leaped to their feet. “Yep! And you know what that means!”

“Time to decorate the Christmas tree!” Ruby hollered and jumped in the air.

Yang began to haul boxes into the room and stacked them in proximity of the Christmas tree.

“Another family tradition,” Ruby explained to Weiss and Blake, “is that everyone has signature ornaments that they alone are allowed to put on the tree. They’re always the first things we put on.”

She removed the lid from one box and produced two spherical ornaments. One was bright pink and decorated with a picture of a crimson rose. The words “Baby’s first Christmas” were printed along with the date 65 A.G.W.

Ruby carefully held the ornament as though it were a delicate baby sparrow, “This one is my birth ornament. Mom got it for my first Christmas. It’s as old as I am.”

“And this one is mine.” Yang presented the other ornament, which was canary yellow. The image of a warm fireplace and a Christmas tree were painted on its glass surface. The date was two years earlier, 63 A.G.W.

Standing on her tippy-toes, Ruby extended her arm as far as it would go and hung her ornament on the highest branch she could reach. With hilarious ease, Yang placed her own bauble high above her sister’s. Then both girls stood back and admired their handiwork. There was a grand total of two ornaments on the tree.

Blake reached into the box and removed another ornament, a tiny angel with a halo. “How about we put up the rest of the decorations before we start patting each other on the back?” she smiled wryly.

Putting her hand on the angel, Yang quickly admonished, “Not yet, Blakey. You’re not following tradition. Everyone had to put up their signature ornaments first.”

Ruby chimed in, “You two are included!”

“What?” Weiss questioned, “But we don’t have ornaments!”

Sharing identical grins, Ruby and Yang reached into another box and take out two brand-new looking ornaments, one black and one white. Yang handed the black bauble to Blake and Ruby placed the other in Weiss’ hands.

Turning the white trinket over, Weiss saw that it was painted with a great big “W”, along with a somewhat messy depiction of the twelve-pointed snowflake. It only had eight points and was really more of an outline. Beside her, Blake was inspecting her own gift with an astonished expression. There was a hand painted “B” emblazoned upon it.

“I know it’s a little early for presents, but Yang and I worked really hard on those handmade ornaments.” Ruby clapped her hands. “Now you two can join in on the family tradition!”

Pliant fingers ghosted over the ornament’s glossy surface. Throat tightening, Weiss found herself fighting back tears. All those seasons ago, watching the ornament she made with her own hands being thrown away had left her with a miserable memory. But now, it was being replaced with a treasure. This Christmas, she was with people who genuinely cared for her and didn’t hesitate to invite her into their cherished traditions. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she belonged.

Blake wiped at her amber eyes. She whispered, “Thank you so much.”

Weiss didn’t speak, in fear of her voice cracking. She merely nodded her snowcapped crown in agreement.

Yang held up a finger, “There’s just one thing you gotta do. Put both of yours beside each other, and in order, okay?”

A moment later, and two more ornaments hung beside each other. Weiss and Blake gazed upon their ornaments.

WB

Then Yang and Ruby jumped on either side of them, holding two more baubles. The third was red-rose with an “R” and the fourth was sunny yellow with an equally bright “Y”.

“We wanted to make a complete set, so we made our own signature ornaments to go with yours!” Ruby smiled.

After hanging their own ornaments on either side of Weiss and Blake’s, Ruby and Yang flanked their friends.

RWBY

All four friends stood side-by-side, admiring their handiwork.

Weiss felt Ruby’s arm wrap around her shoulder.

Cerulean eyes met silver.

Ruby smiled, “Welcome home.”