#zwei!

“Hearing help dog.” She explains. “You me…”

Her lips purse together and hands pause in thought for a moment.

“…learn together. He hears knocking, fire alarm, shouting. He shows you sound. Good idea, you think same?”

The last sign wobbles uncertainly as Ruby frowns, waiting.

Weiss stares, then glances from her to the puppy. “A… hearing aid dog. Like Crescent, but for deaf people?”

Ruby nods eagerly. The puppy, Zwei, squirms to look up at Weiss, all huge ears and tiny stump legs and a face so incredibly sweet Weiss can feel her heart melting already.

A flicker of motion eventually draws Weiss’s gaze to Ruby again.

“I show you, you show Zwei.” She’s excited now. Weiss can see it in her mile wide grin, in the speed and sloppiness of her signs.

“Teach year. You plus Zwei together, walk street person says name, Zwei hears shows you!”

Weiss curls the puppy closer to her chest, pulse drumming hopefully.

“You really think we can teach him to do that..?”

She looks from the bundle of fluff cradled in her arms to lean and stoic Crescent, the impressive German Shepard mix sitting patiently by Ruby’s side, more like the statue of a guardian beast than a service dog.

There seems to be such an insurmountable difference between the two canines that Weiss is tempted to say ‘Are you insane?’.

But Ruby just bounces brightly and nods again as she mouths the words ‘It’ll work, absolutely’, every move so sure that Weiss decides, against her common sense, to be convinced.

She’s never heard of a service dog for the deaf, though she probably would have if she’d actually contacted any of those support groups her doctor recommended. And she has no idea what dogs are capable of since she’s never been allowed to have one before-

From today onwards though, she does.

Zwei waves his paws at her and she bends to let him pad playfully at her chin, drawing out a giggle as he licks the tip of her nose with his tiny pink tongue.

There’s a tap on Weiss’s shoulder. Ruby has her head tilting and on hand raised palm up, ‘What do you say?’ spelled out across her quirked eyebrows, half-smile rife with anticipation.

Weiss takes the hand on her shoulder and gives it a gentle, thankful squeeze.

“Sometimes you can be one brilliant dolt, Ruby.” She hopes her voice sounds as sincere as she feels. “Let’s give it a try.”

Tawny features flush as Ruby fidgets, shy and pleased all at once. And for some reason that sight makes it impossible for Weiss to let go of her just then, impossible not to lift the hand to her face so Ruby can follow as Weiss leans in slowly, so Ruby can stop her with the smallest nudge or flinch-

She doesn’t.

The kiss lands on one warm cheek, lingers a bit longer than Weiss intended, is over a second later.

Immediately Weiss feels as if she is having a heart attack.

Ruby doesn’t look exactly thrilled or exactly angry. She mainly just looks like someone knocked all wind out of her, cloudy eyes wide and jaw slack as she coincidently manages to stare straight into Weiss’s eyes.

With a jerk Weiss moves back and releases Ruby.

“I- I’m sorry.” She feels numb with shock at herself and wonders if the words tumbling from her tingling lips are even intelligible. “That was too sudden. No, that was stupid, I don’t know why I-”

“No no no!”

Weiss’s words seem to bring Ruby back to herself. She waves her arms, shaking her head frantically to stop Weiss.

Ruby takes a moment. She takes a breath, and then surprise fades into a smile brighter than Weiss every thought possible. She doesn’t sign or say anything but she looks so happy, so incredibly happy Weiss can’t help but let out a shakily relieved laugh.

It’s okay.

Zwei joins in, whole body hiccupping in a tiny yip, and a low boom buzzs through Weiss’s bones as Crescent’s sides compress with an answering woof.

At a gesture the shepherd braces herself on Ruby’s side and stands to snuffle curious at the puppy. 

Ruby’s lips and free hand moves. “New family.” she tells Crescent as the dog wags her tail, and Weiss whispers “Yes” around the knot in her throat, against the sting of her eyes.