#wrw2018

“Yup!” Ruby replied, grabbing the magazine and flopping down on Weiss’ bed.  The action was so commonplace by now that Weiss’ mind hardly registered it.  She was far more focused on making sure Ruby was prepared for class tomorrow.

“Are you sure you did the right assignment?” Weiss clarified.

“I wouldn’t do the wrong assignment by mistake!” Ruby whined.  But when Weiss arched one brow at her, she added, “At least, not again…”

Satisfied with the answer, Weiss chuckled to herself while turning back to her own studying.  That unfortunate accident had only happened once, but Weiss (playfully) refused to let Ruby live it down.  What Ruby didn’t know was that the same thing happened to Weiss...but she finished the assignment in a mad rush right before it was collected.

Ruby was supposed to be the forgetful one, but...well, they all had their flaws, didn’t they?  Accepting imperfection was new to Weiss - something she was still working on, but succeeding every so often with Ruby’s never-ending help.

The door to the room suddenly opened, but Weiss didn’t lift her eyes from the book laying open on the desk in front of her.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t want to?” Yang asked as she and Blake returned from their practice and tossed their weapons onto the floor - to be put away later, hopefully, but sometimes Yang decided that that was ‘too much effort.’

“Not that I wouldn’t want to,” Blake replied. “But I’m pretty sure we’re not allowed up there - the doors are always locked.”

“Wait.”

Pausing her story, Weiss looked across the table at Ruby, who was holding up one hand and staring with wide eyes.  

“Blake’s in this story??  Like, the same Blake that Yang’s dating - that Blake?”

“Yes,” Weiss answered with a nod.  

“But...how is she there??”

“She’s always connected to our lives in some way,” Weiss explained.  “In this case, the four of us enrolled at the same school, and she’s one of our teammates.”

For a long time, Ruby stared.  From expressive silver eyes, Weiss knew that Ruby’s mind was racing - trying to catch up with the information.  Weiss was willing to wait...now that their secret was out in the open, of course.

“That’s...just…”  

Words trailing off, Ruby shook her head and waved for Weiss to continue.  “Sorry for interrupting.  I’ll listen now.”

Smiling at the cute apology, Weiss launched back into the story.

“You’re literally a ninja,” Yang said.  “Are you saying you couldn’t make it up there?”

“I could absolutely make it up there.”

“Then why don’t you prove it to me, huh?” Yang goaded her partner, the constant teasing finally breaking Weiss’ focus on her homework.  “I wanna know what’s up there!  And if you’re so sure you can do it…”

“I’m not falling for that again,” Blake replied with a light laugh.  “Professor Goodwitch might actually kill us next time.”

“Or she’ll put you both in detention until graduation,” Weiss added, spinning around in her seat and watching Yang sit on the edge of Blake’s bed to pull off her boots.  

“So you were listening!” Yang gasped, dropping her shoes on the ground before walking over and shaking Weiss by the shoulders.  “I didn’t think anything could pry you away from that textbook!  I swear, the entire world disappears when you look at one of those things.”

“Hey!” Ruby piped up from her spot on Weiss’ bed. “Weiss would totally stop studying if you asked nicely!”

After sending Ruby a look of gratitude, Weiss met Yang’s eyes and attempted a scowl.

“Unfortunately, your voice is uniquely grating,” she replied. “It would make a deaf person cringe.”

By this point in time, Weiss didn’t even mean the insult.  But she said it anyway - because it always made Yang laugh, and Weiss had never had a friend who thought she was ‘funny.’

“I’m glad talking annoys you so much - because that’s something I’m uniquely qualified to do.”  Letting go of Weiss’ shoulders, Yang shot a grin towards Blake - who nodded in agreement - before turning back with a friendly smile.  “But now that I have your attention - Blake and I were wondering what we’re doing for your -”

“Nothing,” Weiss said, interrupting Yang before she finished that question.  “We’re not doing anything for my birthday.”

“Uh, what?  Why not?”  Turning to the side, Yang shared a look with Ruby and Blake before letting out a small huff of disbelief.  “Your birthday’s this week - we should celebrate.”

All three of her teammates were watching now, as Weiss shook her head.  She had her reasons, but she didn’t want to discuss them right now.  She’d hoped that no one would bring the unfortunate day up, but now that they had...

“I don’t want to celebrate anything,” she said. “It’s just a regular day.”

“It’s not every day you turn eighteen -”

“l don’t want to do anything special. Really.”

When Weiss put extra emphasis on the last word, Yang gave up with a solemn shake of her head and walked over to Blake’s bed. Blake gave Weiss a thoughtful expression before focusing on the girl who collapsed beside her.  

Noticing that one person in the room was conspicuously quiet, Weiss found Ruby watching the interaction with her brow furrowed.

“Do you have anything to add?” Weiss asked, softening her tone when addressing Ruby directly.  It looked like Ruby wanted to say something, but instead she shook her head and smiled.

“It’s your day, Weiss.  We’ll do whatever you want!”

The response warmed Weiss’ heart, being exactly what she’d hoped to hear.

“I’d like to be treated normally - no special attention or ‘happy birthdays’ necessary,” she replied, to which Ruby nodded.

“Then that’s how it’ll be!”

Weiss smiled at the proclamation, relieved that Ruby took her side.  

Ruby’s support meant the world to her, in ways that grew every day.  She didn’t have the courage to admit this out loud, but she relied on Ruby now. Surprisingly, relying on another person wasn’t as scary as she might’ve thought - because she trusted Ruby more than anyone else at Beacon.  They weren’t partners in name only anymore.  They were partners - the true meaning of that term being learned over time.

With the stress of her impending birthday alleviated, Weiss resumed studying until it was time to go to sleep.

She appreciated that her teammates didn’t try to press her.  Once she made her wishes known, they would honor those requests.  After surviving her childhood - with her father’s wants overruling everyone else’s - it was nice to have her wishes respected.  Even if her teammates didn’t understand, they would do as she asked and know that she had a reason.

In this case, it was a personal reason but a reason all the same.  

Waking up on the morning of her birthday, Weiss felt a freedom and levity that had never before been associated with this inauspicious day.  There would be no surprises, no unwanted attention - it would be a normal day filled with normal responsibilities and a normal routine.

As her teammates woke up, they did exactly what she’d asked of them.  Blake headed into the bathroom first, uttering the customary “Good morning,” as she walked past.  Yang jumped off her bed and stretched in between their bunks, making her back do that sickening pop she knew Weiss hated before flashing a grin.

“What’s up, buttercup?” Yang said, making up another stupid nickname that was only meant to annoy Weiss further.

“Buttercup is a cute name!”

Ruby appeared the next second, landing beside her sister and already sporting a big smile.

“Do you like that one, Weiss?” she asked.  “I mean, do you like that one, buttercup?”

Ruby giggled at the term of endearment while Weiss’ cheeks grew warmer.  She had no problem reacting with disdain when Yang pulled that act every morning, but it was growing more and more flustering when Ruby sometimes tagged on.

“It’s ok...” Weiss muttered, avoiding Ruby’s cheerful grin and heading to the dresser to find her outfit for today’s classes. When Blake walked back into the room a few minutes later, Yang disappeared into the bathroom next.  

Four girls sharing a single bathroom was a nightmare in the making, but they’d come up with a fair method to keep everyone happy. They always went in order of their team initials, but the person who got to go first switched every morning.  Ruby was first one day, Weiss was first the next, so on and so forth.  Having a defined order worked wonders in keeping the arguments at bay.

While waiting for Yang, and then Ruby, to get ready, Weiss read over her notes from studying the night before.  No matter what Yang said, there was no such thing as too much studying.  This was their livelihoods they were preparing for, after all.  Being over prepared was a good thing - it meant they would come home safe and sound.

When a soft breeze and the smell of fresh roses swept across her, Weiss packed her notebooks into her bag and walked towards the bathroom.  Being last in the order meant there wasn’t much time left to get ready, but she’d perfected a routine that took minimal time.

Even though she’d made a big deal about today not being a big deal, she spent a few extra minutes styling her hair to perfection.  There was no shame in looking well-dressed on any given day - her birthday or not.  If she wanted to look a little fancier today, that was her decision to make.

After giving her appearance a nod of approval in the mirror, she walked out of the bathroom and immediately sensed that something was out of place.  Or rather, someone was missing.

It was strange how connected she was to Ruby recently, where she could sense Ruby’s presence and absence without thinking about it.  But that’s exactly what had happened again, because only Yang and Blake were in the room.

“Where’s Ruby?” Weiss asked, her eyes sweeping the room a second time, as if Ruby was somehow hidden in the miniscule space.

“She ran out for something,” Blake answered. “Said she’d be right back.”

“Oh.”

Weiss was disappointed by the news, then mentally scolded herself for being disappointed.  She was the one who’d made a big deal about everyone treating her normally, yet she was disappointed that Ruby left the room early on her birthday?  Ruby was only doing what Weiss had requested - which was really kind and sweet of her.  So why did Weiss suddenly wish that Ruby hadn’t listened?

There was no time to overanalyze the emotion since Yang and Blake were ready to go.  Picking up her bag, Weiss gave them a nod.  Together, the three of them stepped out into the hall at nearly the same moment Team JNPR’s door opened. 

“Good morning,” Pyrrha said upon seeing them, then smiled when her eyes fell upon Weiss.  “Happy birthday, Weiss.”

“Oh yeah!  Happy birthday,” Jaune added with a grin.  

“Thank you,” Weiss replied with a slight bow of her head.  

They’d only just left the sanctuary of the room behind, and already she had two birthday wishes.  That was alright though - she could handle birthday wishes.  It was when people started getting into birthday plans that she wanted to leave the conversation.

“Are you doing anything special to celebrate?” Pyrrha asked, as if she’d just overheard the thought flit through Weiss’ mind.

“We should party!” Nora added with that slightly manic smile of hers.  Jaune nodded in agreement, but Weiss shook her head at the suggestion.

“She doesn’t want to do anything,” Yang answered, causing the four members of Team JNPR to look at Weiss in shock.  Well, three of them looked at her in shock, and Ren nodded his head in understanding.

“What??” Jaune asked.  “No party?  No gifts? No cake??”

“It’s just a regular day,” Weiss replied, suddenly wishing that birthdays didn’t even exist.  “There’s no need for any festivities.”

Yang raised a hand as if saying ‘see?’ while the rest of JNPR stared.

Weiss didn’t expect anyone to understand her true motivations behind foregoing her birthday, nor did she want to explain it to everyone.  But if this was how they were going to react, it was going to be a long day.

“If that’s what you want...” Pyrrha finally replied, always willing to honor someone else’s wishes.

“Weiss!”

Weiss’ heart leapt at the sound of her name, and Ruby appeared at her side a second later.  A wave of rose petals fluttered past them in the hall, but by now they were so used to the phenomenon that no one blinked.

“Oh, hey guys!” Ruby said, waving towards Team JNPR.

“Hey Ruby,” Jaune replied, thankfully turning his attention to the newest arrival.  “What’re you up to?”

“Oh!”  Reminded of whatever she’d run off to do, Ruby turned and grabbed Weiss’ hands, sending a thrill of excitement down her spine.  “I went to talk to Professor Oobleck!  He said the two of us can go on a super-secret mission today!”

“What??” Nora gasped.  

Feeling a much more muted version of Nora’s reaction, Weiss gave Ruby a curious look.

“What super-secret mission?” Weiss asked while Nora appeared by her side.

“Yeah!  What mission? Can I come??”

“Sorry guys, it’s just me and Weiss!” Ruby replied with a grin.  “So you’ll have to go to class without us.  Oh, and probably no practice today either.”

That last piece of news was positive, as Yang turned to Blake and smiled.

“Sweet.  That means we can hang out?” Yang asked, gesturing between the two of them.

“That sounds nice.”

“But what about me?” Nora butted in.  “What am I supposed to do?”  

The rest of Team JNPR chuckled at Nora’s whine while walking away from their dorm room.  “Come on, Nora,” Ren said as they went.  “Let’s go to class.”

“See you guys later!” Jaune called out, throwing a wave over his shoulder.  Team JNPR hadn’t yet turned the corner when Yang and Blake turned to Weiss and Ruby.

“Guess we’ll catch up later?” Yang asked.  

“You bet!” Ruby said.  Nodding once at the answer, Yang took Blake’s hand to lead them after Team JNPR for class.  

Meanwhile, Ruby opened the door to their room and rushed inside.  Curious, Weiss followed and watched Ruby fill a backpack with snacks from her overflowing ‘snack drawer.’

“What is this mission?”

“Oh - we need to collect some plants for Professor Oobleck.”  Pulling a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, Ruby handed it over to Weiss. “He needs them for some experiments or something.”  

Unfolding the paper, Weiss found a short list of plants scrawled in their professor’s messy handwriting.

“Why?” she asked.  It wasn’t that she minded helping Professor Oobleck, but this seemed like the type of activity that could be done outside of class hours.

Briefly pausing her packing, Ruby looked up and gave Weiss an apologetic smile.

“Sorry...I know it’s not a ‘normal’ day like you asked for, but I figured you wouldn’t want everyone to keep asking you about your birthday!  So I asked him if we could help out with something in exchange for skipping class.”

With that same smile, Ruby went back to packing - as if her thoughtfulness was nothing.  But it wasn’t nothing.  Not to Weiss. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone had ever done for her.

“Do we really need that many snacks?” she asked, looking at the list of plants again.  “This should only take an hour or two.”

“But what if it takes us a really long time to find everything?” Ruby asked in return. “Like, maybe they aren’t very common and we have to search really hard?  Then it could take like...all day.”

Catching on to the implication, Weiss lowered the list and smiled.  Spending the entire day away from her classmates asking why she didn’t want to celebrate her birthday?  Spending the entire day with Ruby instead?  It sounded like her best birthday yet.

“You’re right.  Some of these are pretty uncommon,” she agreed, smiling when Ruby beamed in success and hopped to her feet.

“Then we’d best get going!” Ruby said, pulling on her backpack, slinging Crescent Rose over her back, and then giving Weiss a thumbs up.  “Lots of plants to find!”

With another smile, Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster and followed Ruby out the door.  It wasn’t very often that she willingly missed class, but today was an exception. Not that today was special - it was still a normal day filled with non-birthday activities.  But they’d spend the day together, and that was always enjoyable.

Walking across Beacon’s grassy lawns towards the forest, Weiss looked up at the early morning sun and sighed in content.  Any chill left in the air would soon be gone, and the day would likely be beautiful and warm.  What better time to be outside versus stuck in a classroom listening to a lecture?

“It’s so nice out!” Ruby remarked, adding a hop to her step to emphasize how she felt about the weather.  Weiss smiled at the comment because, as usual, Ruby said out loud what Weiss thought in her head.  This was another strange occurrence happening more and more often - like Ruby was in Weiss’ mind reading her thoughts.

She liked it.  She knew she could come off as abrasive or demanding, but Ruby said everything in a way that was worthy of a smile.

They were just about to enter the outer edge of the forest when Ruby swung the bag off her back and pulled out a granola bar.

“Already hungry?” Weiss asked, watching Ruby eat half of the bar in a single bite.

“Jush - a bit.”  Ruby motioned with her fingers, but Weiss laughed and walked into the forest.

Based on the list and what Weiss knew of the plants on it, they wouldn’t need to venture far.  That was good news, as the last thing they needed today was to run into some Grimm while searching for plants.

“Do you know what we’re looking for?” Weiss asked, keeping her eyes trained on the ground as they picked their way through the trees and shrubs.

“Uh, well, I was kinda hoping you did.”

Shaking her head, Weiss was about to comment on Ruby’s lack of preparedness when her eyes caught sight of one of their objectives.

“Here,” she said instead, walking over and kneeling by a thorny little plant with blue-green leaves and small purple flowers on top.  “These are the stark violets.”

“Ohhh good find, Weiss!”  While Weiss carefully pulled several of the prickly plants from the ground, Ruby knelt by her side.  “I knew you’d be great at this!”

The compliment heated her cheeks, but thankfully Ruby didn’t seem to notice.  Weiss could mention that they’d learned about the plants just last week in class...or she could remain silent and accept the praise.

Holding the plants in one hand, she turned towards Ruby and realized a fundamental flaw in their packing.  

Technically, she’d had nothing to do with their packing, but she was willing to take a bit of the blame anyway.  They were partners, after all...

“Where are we supposed to put these?” she asked, gesturing with the plants.  “Do you have room in your bag?”

Quickly shrugging off her backpack, Ruby held it up in between them.  Seeing the stuffed pack, Weiss shook her head.  There was definitely no room in there - unless they wanted to bring Professor Oobleck crushed versions of what he’d asked for.

“I think you need to leave some of your snacks behind…” she said.  It was the most obvious solution to their predicament, but would also make Ruby unhappy.

“But I haven’t gotten to eat them yet!” Ruby whined, as expected.  Sighing, Weiss held up the violets and gave Ruby a look that begged for another solution. Biting her lip, Ruby looked around before her expression brightened with an idea.

“I’ve got it!” she exclaimed.  “Why don’t we find a place to eat first?  Then we can eat enough to make room for the plants!”

The answer was genius, in its own way.  It was exactly what Weiss expected from Ruby - intelligence bundled up in a sweet, caring wrapper.  And, while it was a deviation from the plan, Weiss was willing to agree with the proposition if it made Ruby happy and allowed them to accomplish their objective.

“Ok,” Weiss agreed, motioning with the stark violets. “I’ll carry these with us, but where should we eat?”

They were in the midst of the forest, which wasn’t exactly the best place for an impromptu picnic.  Ruby seemed to feel the same, as she glanced in all directions before her eyes sparked back to life.

“l know!” she said, waving Weiss after her before jogging deeper into the forest.  

Even though Weiss had no idea where they were going, she willingly followed, trusting that Ruby could lead the way.  They were headed up - that’s all she knew.  The ground sloped in a gradual way that was nearly unnoticeable at first, but made her legs subtly burn the longer they progressed.  

It was several minutes later - right when she was going to ask where they were headed - when Ruby abruptly stopped and pointed towards a wall of rock that had appeared beyond the trees to their right.

“Think we can make it up there?”

The question had a simple answer - between the two of them, they could make it anywhere.

Forming several glyphs on the wall, Weiss waved her hand towards them.  “After you,” she said, watching Ruby shoot up the sheer wall of rock with ease.  

Gazing after her partner, Weiss took a deep breath as rose petals drifted down from above.  After taking a few seconds to savor the scent, she set a series of glyphs for herself to use for a rapid ascent, taking care to hold onto the stark violets on the way up.  

As soon as she landed safely atop of the rock wall, she froze.  

During their walk it was difficult to determine how far they’d traveled, but Beacon was now lying below them in the distance, the buildings glistening in the sun while students passed back and forth between class or practice.

“Wow.”

That was the most succinct description Weiss could find for the view.  This was yet another moment when she was grateful for the path she’d chosen and the experiences that had opened up to her.  Very few people had the chance to experience something like this.

“Blake told me about this place once,” Ruby explained, walking to the edge of the plateau and sitting down.  “Isn’t it perfect?  Plus, it’ll be hard for anything to sneak up on us up here.  Just gotta keep an eye out for Nevermores.” Looking in all directions, Ruby nodded when she found no Grimm in the air.  Satisfied that they were safe, she started pulling food from the bag.

Taking a look around for herself and finding no black shapes in the sky, Weiss walked over and sat down with Ruby for their meal of…

“You only brought snacks?” she asked, picking up a package of cookies and giving Ruby a curious look.

“Uh, I mean, that’s all I had in the room…”

Shaking her head, Weiss grabbed a small bag of crackers and opened it up.  Thankfully, she wasn’t hungry enough for a full meal at the moment, and this was almost exactly what she’d expect a picnic with Ruby to be like anyway - beautiful scenery, wonderful company, strange selection of food.

“I wonder how Blake found this place,” she commented, trying one of Ruby’s tiny cheese-filled crackers and finding it actually somewhat enjoyable.

“Pretty sure she just explores out here,” Ruby replied, pulling out three cookies that she likely intended to eat at once. “Yang’s been going with her more often. Which is good, I think - partners stick together!”

After making the claim, which Weiss wholeheartedly agreed with, Ruby stuck all three cookies in her mouth and chewed contentedly. Finishing those off, Ruby emptied the rest of the package for another way-too-big bite - she was still chewing as she opened another package.

Meanwhile, they would be lucky if Weiss finished her single bag of crackers, but at least she was helping somewhat.

“So -” Ruby said, polishing off half of the cookies in a matter of seconds.  “Why don’t you want to celebrate your birthday?”

As soon as Ruby asked the question, Weiss sighed. There was no way she couldn’t answer when it was Ruby who wanted to know.  If Weiss explained her reasons to anyone, it would be to Ruby.

Setting her crackers aside while Ruby continued to plow through the contents of the backpack, Weiss dusted off her hands and searched for the best place to start.

“My father always made a big deal about my birthday,” she explained, her brow creasing at the memories.  “There would always be a big party, and all these important, powerful guests were invited.”

“That sounds...kinda fun?”

“They were anything but.  I was forced to attend, I was forced to sing for people I didn’t know and didn’t like, and I was forced to smile the entire time - as if I was enjoying myself.”  Sighing again, she shook her head.  “I dreaded my birthday.  I wished people would forget, or that I could pretend it was a normal day.”

“We won’t make you sing for us…” Ruby whispered, her warm silver eyes providing as much reassurance as her words.  

“I know, Ruby,” Weiss replied.  “I just...can’t escape the feeling that this day is meant to be taken away from me.”

In the moment that followed, Ruby’s brow furrowed while she crumpled an empty wrapper in one hand.

“If someone takes this day away from you, I’m gonna take it right back from them!” she finally said, the certainty in her words succeeding in making Weiss laugh.  

As soon as she laughed, she felt better - lighter...like she was allowed to be happy on her own birthday.

“I really appreciate what you’ve done for me today,” she said, waving towards their strange picnic in the forest.  

“Anything for you, Weiss!” Ruby replied, beaming before pulling the backpack over to her.  “Oh, and I know you probably didn’t want anything,” she said, flipping the bag open.  “But I got you a little something anyway.”

While Ruby spoke, she pulled out a small cardboard box - a box that Weiss hadn’t noticed Ruby putting in there before they left the room.

“It’s not much...” Ruby said, holding it out to Weiss.  “And you deserve something way nicer, but I hope you like it anyway.”

Accepting the box, Weiss felt excitement spring into her veins.  It was true that she would’ve said she didn’t want any presents, but now that Ruby had given her one...she was excited to find out what it was.

Pulling the lid off the box, her heart jumped in her chest when she saw what was inside.

“l realized you’re constantly picking petals out of everything,” Ruby explained while Weiss stared at the gift.  “Thought it’d be nice to give you a whole one, for once.”

Reaching down, Weiss gently picked up the single red rose that was resting inside.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said, twirling it between her fingers as she tried to soak in every small detail.  

It was one of the most exquisite roses she’d ever seen, but that wasn’t even the beginning of the meaning behind the gift. This rose represented Ruby, in more ways than one.  To Weiss, this was her partner in inanimate form - beautiful, sweet, and pure.  

Lowering the flower, Weiss caught Ruby’s eyes.

“Thank you, Ruby,” she said, her heart beating loudly with gratitude.  “This is...a really wonderful gift.”

“Ah, well, no problem,” Ruby replied with an embarrassed little wave.  “You’re a really great partner, so…”

The compliment was left hanging in the air, as Ruby let the sentence trail off while searching for another topic to latch onto.

“I think we have room now!” she suddenly remarked, patting the bag and hopping to her feet.  

Accepting that the moment was over, Weiss looked at her gift one more time before storing it safely back in the box and standing as well.

Of all the people she could’ve been partnered with at Beacon, she’d ended up with Ruby.  Of all the highly-qualified, highly-trained and specialized students, she’d ended up with a cookie-loving, hyperactive bundle of energy.  

And she couldn’t be happier.  Her feelings for Ruby had grown by leaps and bounds over the course of their time together, and now - after receiving such a wonderful gift on such a thoughtful day - she felt that it was only right she gave Ruby something in return.  

Weiss knew exactly what she wanted it to be, too. Something she’d imagined with increasing frequency lately...

“I’d like to give you something in return,” she said while Ruby collected her empty wrappers.  “As a ‘thank you.’”

“Aww - you don’t have to do that!”

“But I want to,” Weiss insisted, giving Ruby a sincere look.  “You’ve done so much to make this day special for me, and I’d like to thank you for that.”

Ruby was unsure about accepting a gift in return, but Weiss had expected as much.  Ruby was selfless to her very core, and she might feel bad about receiving a gift in exchange for giving one, but...Weiss was more and more certain that this was what she wanted to do.

“Ok,” Ruby eventually agreed.  “I mean, only if you want to...”

“I’d like to give you a kiss.”

As Ruby’s cheeks instantly flushed, Weiss felt her own heat up to match.  But she couldn’t take the words back now.  They were already out in the open, waiting for Ruby’s response.

Not that she wanted to take them back.  She’d already missed too many moments - they’d missed too many moments - which had felt right at the time, yet neither of them had the courage to take that next step. That ended today - on her birthday, of all days.

At first, Ruby just stared, her jaw hung open in surprise.  Next, she closed her mouth and started to sputter.  

“I-I mean, i-if you want to?  That’s...that’s ok with me...”

It was the response Weiss had hoped for, but with permission granted her nerves doubled in size.  This wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined this moment to be, but the timing felt right.  That seemed to be the case with Ruby - the right moments appeared when least expected.

Standing on this rock outcropping, with a beautiful view of Beacon...this seemed like the right moment, if there ever was one.

Taking a deep breath and leaning forward, Weiss pressed a quick kiss to Ruby’s lips - her heart exploding in butterflies as soon as she felt Ruby’s soft lips against her own.  No sooner had the sensation appeared did she pull away, unprepared for the spike of passion that surged through her veins.

Ruby was sweet, pure, and beautiful through-and-through...but her touch was electric.  Even after Weiss backed away, energy flowed through her like a current searching for an outlet.

“Thank you for the best birthday ever,” she whispered.

Ruby’s blush deepened, but Weiss’ heart was soaring. That had been more amazing than she’d ever dreamed it to be, which she wouldn’t have thought possible.  

No wonder Yang and Blake were always sneaking off to ‘hang out’ together.  Weiss would never be so obvious with those intentions, but she certainly wouldn’t mind doing it again - if Ruby was willing.

“Y-you’re welcome, Weiss,” Ruby stuttered in return. “Anything for you.”

When Ruby smiled, Weiss smiled in return.  

“Now let’s find the rest of these plants,” she said, picking up the backpack and offering it to Ruby.  “Maybe Yang and Blake will make a special dinner with us if we get back to Beacon in time.”

“You mean...like a celebration??” Ruby asked while slinging the pack over her shoulders.

“l think a small team celebration would be fine,” Weiss said, sending Ruby a playfully thoughtful glance.  “Does that sound good?”

“Yeah!  I’m sure Yang and Blake would love to do that!  Oh, maybe we can make you a cake??”

“Have you ever baked before?”

“Nnnope!”

The answer made Weiss smile as they headed out to complete their quest, leaving the outcropping of rock behind and dropping back to the forest floor below.

“Then that sounds like fun.”

Allowing Ruby to walk a little ways ahead, Weiss smiled while remembering their kiss.  Knowing herself and knowing Ruby, there was a long, slow path ahead of them - but the first step was finally complete, and now Weiss could overanalyze and overplan for what their future might bring.  

Her heart fluttered at the thought, as visions of years from now crowded her mind.  There was nothing stopping them from being together for the rest of their lives, if that’s what they wanted.  And, it might be far too early to say, but Weiss was certain she wanted Ruby in her life, in some way, forever.

“Uh, Weiss?  What the heck are we looking for next?”

Smiling at the question, Weiss sped up to catch up with her partner.

The day wasn’t even half over, but it was already the best birthday she’d ever had - and maybe the best birthday she would ever have.

Having said everything she wanted to say, Weiss watched Ruby process the story.  Her silver eyes were wide and her mouth hung open, but she was still sitting at the table, and apparently still willing to listen.

“That...that sounds…”

The words Weiss would use to complete that sentence were likely far different from what Ruby was thinking at the moment. Amazing, sweet, exceptionally caring and kind.

“I mean, that sounds really, uh, crazy?”

‘Crazy’ wasn’t a bad response.  Weiss could work with ‘crazy.’

“You gave me a rose every birthday after that,” Weiss said, smiling while she remembered the myriad of ways Ruby found to give such a simple gift - through treasure hunts, trivia games and, one year, buried underneath a thousand white roses (each of which Ruby had meticulously de-thorned herself).  “l loved each and every one.”

“I mean, at least you were easy to buy gifts for?” Ruby replied with a nervous laugh, sweeping a hand through her hair then shaking her head.  “Sorry, this is just…like - I don’t get it.  That’s how we first met?  Wait - how do you even know that’s the first time?  Aren’t there like...tons of lives to choose from?”

“There are,” Weiss answered with a nod.  “But I’m positive that’s the first time we met.”

“How do you know?”

Weiss smiled thinking about her explanation, which she was absolutely certain was correct.  

“Because that’s the only memory I have where I know exactly who gave me the rose on my birthday,” she said.  When Ruby only looked more confused, Weiss explained further.

“On my 18th birthday, I wake up and find a single, red rose.  It might be on my pillow, out in the hall, on the cabinets - somewhere I’ll notice it early in the day.  I have no idea how it gets there, I just know it’s always there.”

“What does it do?” Ruby asked, her persistent questions proving her interest in Weiss’ words.

Thinking about the most recent rose, Weiss smiled. It was the most beautiful flower she’d ever seen - at least, up until that time.  They all paled in comparison to the very first rose - the one Ruby had given her at Beacon.

“When I pick up the rose, I see all these visions,” she explained.  “It’s not a sudden rush of memories, but  more like...” Pausing, she struggled to think of a way to describe the feeling.  “When I focus on the rose, I start to sense pieces of the past.  It feels like my mind is waking up - slightly asleep at first, then growing more and more aware.  The harder I focus on the rose, the more memories I get.  I see you, I see us...I see everything.”

“That sounds...like a lot.”

“It is,” Weiss agreed.  “But I can slow down if it becomes too much.  All I need to do is put down the rose.”

When Ruby accepted that statement as is, Weiss didn’t elaborate further.  She didn’t explain how she rarely put down the rose - opting instead to let the memories crash over her in one giant wave of love, laughter, and happiness.  It was overwhelming but absolutely amazing.  No matter where she was in her life at that point in time, her heart woke up - she found a purpose.  

And that purpose was Ruby.  

“I know that Beacon is the first time we were together because that’s the only memory I have where someone gives me the rose on my birthday,” Weiss repeated.  “It was you, Ruby.  And it’s always been you, ever since that day.”