#Pyrrha likes warm weather | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

snow-and-scarlet · 2 years

Text

Northern Lights

Chapter 3

The soft sound of rainfall fit the mood, Pyrrha thought as her eyes turned up past the slowly falling drops and even slower snow above where Atlas' heating grid melted it, to the low-hanging clouds — at least from the perspective of the flying city — that concealed the tops of many of the taller buildings and most of the Academy. She was thankful for it; a sunny day simply wouldn't have felt right. Practically every night since confronting Weiss she'd been haunted by nightmares of losing herself, of hurting her dearest. Weiss seemed to be faring similarly, having more often than not been clinging to Pyrrha in the midst of her own troubled, fitful sleep when she woke.

After a rather late start the pair had finally left the Academy and made their way into the city for lunch and some shopping that they'd put off for too long, having lost the opportunity on their last day off — they'd both been so emotionally drained by the previous night's talk that it was all either could go to even make it to the mess, much less outside the Academy. Even a week later neither of them really felt like a day out on the town, but they'd been in Atlas for the better part of a month now and there were things they needed to buy, and perhaps more importantly they needed to be seen; for those as high profile as Pyrrha and especially Weiss, having gone without making some sort of appearance was already unheard-of, and the rumour mill was busy churning out all sorts of outlandish tales. In fact, Pyrrha had caught a bit of the morning show whilst Weiss was in the shower and there was talk on the street that the reason Weiss hadn't been seen was that she died at Beacon; another interviewee supposed that the two of them were simply very… busy… indoors with one another, as young lovers are wont to be. Pyrrha felt her cheeks warming at the thought of the latter suggestion.

If only…

Well, perhaps a bit less scandalous than that woman seemed to be insinuating.

A gentle tug at her arm brought her out of her thoughts, and she realised the sound of rain had been joined by that of the crossing signal. Weiss looked up at her with questioning eyes.

"You okay, Pyr?"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha offered a small smile in return and stepped closer, and the umbrella they shared — a hardlight dome projected by a small robot about the size of a hockey puck floating a little higher than her head — fully covered Weiss once more. "I was just… thinking."

"About something that made you blush?" Weiss raised a brow.

"Only a little!" Weiss seemed less than convinced, which surely had nothing at all to do with Pyrrha's face now being nearly as red as her hair.

"Uh huh." Weiss was gracious enough not to press the issue, only smirking a bit as they crossed the street, and once again Pyrrha was thankful for the weather; the chill helped to cool her embarrassment.

Once they were on the other side Pyrrha spoke up again. "Mostly, I was thinking how wonderful it would be to be here with you without all the… complications. Without having to worry about…" She sighed softly.

Weiss gave a slow nod. "Yeah…" She looked away momentarily. "Listen, I'm… really sorry, about what I said. I… I didn't mean to-."

"It's alright." Pyrrha took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "You were right; any of those things could be happening and I would never know. You didn't do anything wrong."

Weiss frowned and stepped in front of Pyrrha, icy eyes locking onto their emerald counterparts, and forced her to halt to avoid running her over. "I did though. Even if I was right, I did the last thing I ever wanted to do: I hurt you." Her head dipped with a low sigh, her voice as deflated as her body when she continued. "I'm still hurting you…"

"Weiss, you aren't-."

"No, Pyr, don't tell me I'm not doing it — we both know that's not true. You've been second-guessing yourself all week, and I'm not the only one that's noticed. Why do you think Winter was so upset with you during combat training?"

Pyrrha glanced away. "She was angry with me for holding back again."

"That wasn't all. And Vine? He said you were doing so well and then suddenly you can't focus enough to project your Aura even between your fingers, even though your Semblance control has improved quite a bit."

"Major Zeki's techniques put new kinds of strain on our Aura… what if that triggers something within me? What if it causes me to… falter, or even fall entirely?"

"See, this is what I mean; I caused this. Just because I have valid concerns doesn't mean I should've treated you any different, or put that weight on you, and now that I have you're suffering because of it. You're even more worried than I am, the instructors are adding to the pressure since your performance has dropped, and you don't have anyone to turn to except me — who created this problem for you — or them — who are making it worse."

"What if your worries have merit and I truly am no longer myself? Would it have been better to worry alone? Being more conscious of my own behaviour may keep me from hurting you , and that's far worse than some extra pressure and a scolding from your sister… I could never forgive myself for that."

"And you think I can? This hesitation and uncertainty is exposing you to danger too, you know. We're in training now, but accidents still happen and field exercises are still uncontrollable, and that's not even mentioning what it'll be like once we've graduated."

Weiss turned the hand holding her shopping bags to let them slide down over her wrist so that she could clasp both hands over Pyrrha's.

"If our positions were reversed, and you saw me affected like this by something you did or said, you'd feel terrible and want to do anything you could to help, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yes, but-."

"Then don't you think it's only right that I should want to, too? I don't want you to burn out…"

Pyrrha realised that the street was quiet, only the distant sounds of the city, the rain, and their own voices reaching her ears, as though they were strangely alone on the block. Her eyes flicked away from Weiss' briefly and she tensed; when they returned they were a bit wider, and her voice was more urgent and quieter, almost a whisper.

"Weiss-."

"I need you, Pyr."

"Weiss."

Weiss' brow furrowed at the sudden shift in demeanour, and Pyrrha gave another flick of her eyes and the slightest tilt of her head to the building they stood before. As it so happened, Weiss had stopped them in front of a busy café whose front was almost entirely made up of a large window, beyond which the couple held the rapt attention of practically the entire occupancy and no few scrolls. Both up and down the street crowds had begun to gather as well, some watching and quietly whispering to one another, some taking pictures or video, and some posting about the encounter on social media… which of course would only draw in more onlookers from the area.

Both girls froze, looking to one another for answers neither had to give. Dealing with the media was one thing, even dealing with paparazzi they were normally prepared for, but of all the days to be confronted by a sudden mob of fans — at least Pyrrha hoped they were fans — they could scarcely have picked a worse day than today.

The girls' silence dragged on uncomfortably long, but finally Pyrrha lifted her free hand to timidly wave to the crowd behind Weiss. "Hello."

As though that simple act had opened the floodgates, she and Weiss —mostly Weiss, but that was to be expected here in Atlas — were immediately assailed by questions and comments from all sides as the crowds pressed closer. They looked so adorable, and Weiss could do better, and what did her parents think? Was this a fling? Were they serious? When was the wedding going to be? What was the fight about? Who had cheated, and with whom, and where were the photos? Were they staying in Atlas? Of course they were, Schnees wouldn't live anywhere else! But Jacques wouldn't stand for his daughter dating a common thug, even if she was a talented and famous one! And on, and on, and Pyrrha couldn't even make out many of them for how they blended together.

She couldn't get a word in edgewise, and Weiss fared little better even if she were inclined to answer the questioners. Weiss tried to make a way through the mass for them, but the crowd wasn't having it; Pyrrha stepped in to shield her from reaching hands, eyes urgently flicking to and fro.

This is bad… we need to get out of here, before…

Before what? No one here could hurt either of them, even unarmed and in civilian garb as they were. Even alone Weiss could easily dispatch the entire crowd with ease, and Pyrrha all the more so. They could jump away, or push through, and no one could stop them… but to do so here, in the middle of Atlas surrounded by these people and recorded by so many scrolls, would be to make pariahs of themselves. That sort of thing was simply not done save in an emergency, and for all the girls' discomfort this didn't qualify. And yet as Pyrrha held Weiss there, tense in her arms, as those speculations pricked her, she could feel the urge rising — fight or flee, she would soon have to act regardless of social convention.

Pyrrha's eyes turned down and met Weiss'; she saw the plea for help, and in that moment she knew what she must do. Just as she was about to clear a path by force if light nudges wouldn't suffice, the chatter of the crowd was silenced by the sudden sound of Mistrali pixie-pop splitting the air. Pyrrha's head whipped around fast enough in search of the source that it sent her ponytail out like a streamer. The music was coming from a pair of speakers that resembled cat ears perched atop the head of a faunus girl with coral pink hair pulled up into a pair of high, splayed twin tails and cyan streaks in her fringe, a feline tail of the same coral pink extending from her skirt. She was loudly slurping up the last of a bubble tea as she drew near upon trick skates, a shimmery rainbow left in her wake.

" There you are!" The girl was practically yelling, though whether to be heard over the former din of the crowd or because the headphones to which her cat-ear speakers were attached nearly deafened her was hard to say. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Some of those in the crowd turned to the obnoxious newcomer, as did Weiss although unlike Pyrrha the diminutive Schnee couldn't see her just yet. Nevertheless her brow furrowed and she turned her gaze aside in thought.

The faunus girl skated closer, hopping just enough for her wheels to retract when she reached the edge of the crowd and lowering the volume from her speakers, though she kept the music on. She didn't seem to care about what was or wasn't acceptable, pushing a path open without regard for resistance.

"'Scuse me, comin' through, look out, make way." And like that, she was within the circle, grinning to Pyrrha and Weiss.

Recognition flashed across Weiss' face. "Neon??"

"Weisscream!!" Weiss' eyes went wide as Neon Katt darted in to drape an arm over her shoulders, looking up to Pyrrha as well then. "Real sneaky of you hiding her in the crowd like that! Lucky for me," she pulled out her scroll, "people have been Schneeting about it." She snorted, then broke out into brief laughter. "Schneeting… your dad really didn't think that through when he named it Schneeter. Like at all. Not even a little. Aaanyway, come on, we're already late!" She began to pull Weiss toward the edge of the crowd whence she came.

Pyrrha looked down to Weiss, then to Neon and back, not releasing her hold but moving a little as Weiss didn't seem to object; if nothing else Neon was getting them out of the crowd. "Late?"

Neon glanced back. "Yeah, late. The opposite of early. That thing that happens when the time you were supposed to meet me comes and goes and you're not there so I hafta come find you."

Pyrrha frowned. "I know what it means, but… were we supposed to meet you?"

Neon's eyes widened incredulously and her jaw nearly dropped, and too late Pyrrha realised her mistake. "Uh, yeah! 'Were we supposed to…'" Neon rolled her eyes — so much that it was practically audible — and turned her gaze to Weiss. "You sure this is your girl Weisscream? If you liked the dumb ones you coulda just stuck with that blonde."

Pyrrha chafed and Weiss' eyes narrowed a little. "I'm sure Neon, and Pyrrha's not dumb , I just didn't tell her. I wanted it to be a surprise and I lost track of time."

"Ooooooh, okay, okay. Well anyway come on , we gotta go!! Everyone else is already waiting!!" Again Neon pulled at Weiss, and this time both she and Pyrrha followed closely, letting her open whatever path she liked. Now they had an excuse, and they weren't about to waste it.

A few minutes and more than a few apologies later, Neon had dragged them through the now-upset crowd and into an air taxi, and the trio were lifting away from the Atlas streets.

The taxi took them out beyond the rim of the floating island of Atlas and past lower, darker clouds kept at bay by its weather control systems to the lights of Mantle below. Neither Pyrrha nor Weiss had ever been to the lower city, and both looked out over its rain-slick streets as they descended toward an outlying area.

"Thanks for that back there, but," Weiss turned from the window to look to Neon, "where are we going?"

Neon grinned mischievously. "You'll see!"

"… Should I be worried?"

Pyrrha turned from the window at that, looking from Weiss to Neon and back with questioning eyes.

"Aww, come on Weisscream, don't you trust me?"

Weiss just stared at Neon for a moment. "Uh, no; I barely know you."

Pyrrha's brow furrowed. "You mean the two of you aren't close?"

Neon answered first, and her reply took Weiss aback. "Sure we are!" The faunus girl bounced over to their side of the taxi and draped an arm around Weiss' shoulders; Weiss didn't miss the sudden tightening at the corners of Pyrrha's eyes. "We go waaaaay back."

Weiss twisted and pushed Neon away a little, gently but insistently. "I met you at the Vytal Tournament — this is only the second time I've even seen you!"

"Like I said, way back!"

"We appreciate your help, but-."

Neon cut Pyrrha off with a bright smile. "Awesome! Then you can come with me and have some fun." Her smile turned to that mischievous, appropriately-catlike one she seemed to have perfected — Weiss wondered if she practised it or if it just came naturally to her. As soon as Pyrrha began to reply — her expression looking less than completely acquiescent — Neon again spoke to preempt any argument. "I mean, you do owe me for saving you and all, Berries; it'd be kinda rude to just use me and bounce."

Weiss sighed; she'd better step in before Pyrrha overcommitted them to avoid such a perception. "I suppose we do. Okay, we'll come with you for a little while, as long as wherever it is isn't too crazy."

"Perfect! You won't regret it."

Weiss gave Neon a quizzical look. "Why 'Berries'? I mean, I get 'Weisscream' but that doesn't have anything to do with her name."

"Oh, that's easy. First, the hair, " Neon leaned over to Pyrrha and pointed to her scarlet ponytail. "Second," another finger joined the first, no longer pointing but counting, and her grin turned positively impish, "I'm betting she tastes really sweet, like a berry."

Pyrrha blushed crimson and spluttered, her eyes going wide at Neon's comment as the faunus girl quickly slipped back beside Weiss, who was herself feeling more than a little heat in her cheeks.

"I'm right aren't I? Yep, I knew it!" She giggled, and Weiss gave her a glare.

Shut up! Only I get to know that!!

"Aaaaand third," Neon raised a third finger, "just look at her!" She gestured to Pyrrha, awkwardly fidgeting at being singled out in such a way but no less red for it. "She looks just like a berry! You can't tell me you don't see it."

"Neon, enough." Still blushing, Weiss nevertheless put ice in her voice, softening only a little once she saw Neon understood she wasn't playing. "Be nice, or we leave immediately."

"Aw, can't a girl have some fun?" Neon pouted and huffed. "Besides, Berries and Weisscream just naturally go together."

That brought a little smile to Weiss' face which she saw reflected on Pyrrha's upon looking to her lover. She reached over to take Pyrrha's hand in her own and gave it a light squeeze. "I couldn't agree more."

She should've known it would be something like this. Neon made no effort to hide her interests, and yet as she'd dragged them through darkened streets and dingy alleys Weiss had begun to grow suspicious as to just what kind of 'fun' she had in mind for them. She'd almost called it off entirely when the faunus girl had taken them to an unmarked, run-down building on the outskirts of Mantle, until the cringe-inducing screech that issued when Neon shoved the door open faded and in its place could be heard the muted thumping of club music. Winding through the derelict building to its basement had revealed the actual destination to be far less decrepit, if still hardly the chic affair they might've found topside.

"Why did you bring us here?" Weiss almost had to yell to be heard over the music, even leaning in closer to Neon.

"I told you, to have some fun!" Neon giggled, seeming unperturbed by the noise and dancing her way toward the bar, forcing Weiss and Pyrrha to follow.

"Yeah, but why here? There are clubs in Atlas, or even central Mantle, that the driver could've taken us directly to. Does this place even have a name?"

"Becaaaause," Neon rolled her eyes as she reached the bar and turned to Weiss, "my stipend lasts for more than three drinks here, and I doubt you want to explain to daddy why you were using his money to go clubbing. Especially with me. "

Weiss blushed a little, and Neon turned to motion to the bartender — a young man with olive skin and bright green hair gathered into a ponytail, out of which emerged a pair of butterfly antennae — for drinks.

"Besides, those are places you two would get noticed. You looked like you needed an escape from the crowds — actually, more than just the crowds, and the only way you can get that kind of escape topside is with the sort of dust I can't picture either of you using."

Weiss bristled at that last. "I have no idea what you're talking about; I'm the heiress to the SDC, I use every kind of dust."

Neon snickered. "Eeeeexactly."

Pyrrha stepped in and laid a hand on Weiss' shoulder before she could say anything further, speaking up herself instead. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Neon, but what do you mean we looked like we needed an escape from more than just the crowds?"

The bartender came back with a trio of brightly-coloured drinks that Neon passed around. "Later. For now, we drink and dance!"

Weiss eyed the glass warily before she took it. "Okay… but only one."

"One!? You can't stop at one! "

Watch me — I am not my mother.

Weiss shot Neon a look. "You drink what you want, I'm stopping at one." Her tone brooked no argument.

Neon held her gaze curiously for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, okay, jeez."

And so they drank, and as promised Weiss stopped with one of the artificially-sweet concoctions, though even that was enough to leave her feeling tipsy. And they danced — quite differently than they had at Beacon, of course — and Weiss soon found herself enjoying the evening after all. Yes the crowd was too close and the room too warm — okay, part of that might be the drink and part was almost certainly the way she was pressed against Pyrrha moving to the music. And yes, the style wasn't her favourite and was far too loud with the bass mixed too high — although she must admit it did have a nice rhythm, and with the volume like that it was almost as though they were in their own little world despite everyone around them, their own world where every beat reverberated through their bodies like a primordial heartbeat — but none of that mattered, because for a little while, she could just relax and enjoy a night out with her girlfriend.

After awhile the couple drifted to a table off to the side to take a break and enjoy one another's company. They were soon after joined by Neon bearing another trio of drinks, to whom Pyrrha turned a gently-reproachful look.

"I'll be glad to join you for another, but you mustn't try to coax Weiss into another round when she's made her wishes known."

Neon tilted her head. "Who's coaxing? This is one for you, two for me." She laughed as she slid into a seat, setting one of the drinks in front of Pyrrha.

"Oh." Pyrrha blushed, looking down to the slightly-flushed Weiss who nestled against her. "You didn't bring anything for her?"

"Don't know what she drinks." Neon shrugged and took a long draw from one of her glasses.

Pyrrha nudged Weiss just a touch. "Sparkling water with a lemon twist?"

Weiss twisted a bit to meet her gaze, her contented smile growing a touch. "You know me so well." She nuzzled against Pyrrha, then sighed softly as she watched her lover rise and disappear into the crowd.

"You've got it baaaad." Neon's teasing — and slurping, as she finished her first drink rather loudly — pulled Weiss' attention back to the table and the smirking girl across from her.

She huffed and sat up straighter. "I do not; I have it very good in fact."

Neon snorted. "Oh I know you do, believe me . That's not what I meant though and you know it, Weisscream."

Weiss felt her cheeks grow warmer than they already were. Of course she knew what Neon meant — and now as well, furthermore — and she couldn't very well deny either, now could she? She was the Schnee heiress, and to the world that meant she lived in the lap of luxury, troubled by nothing. She could argue that, but Neon wouldn't understand. However, she couldn't even begin to claim she didn't love Pyrrha, and if she somehow managed it her lie would be torn to shreds in an instant.

"Well if you could see that, you could've at least brought me a normal water or something so Pyrrha didn't feel like she had to go get me a drink."

"And carry four glasses back through the crowd? Do you want me to stick my fingers in your girlfriend's drink? Rude!"

Weiss scoffed. "As if you really needed two drinks! How can you handle that much anyway, is that like a faunus thing?" Seriously, she's barely bigger than me!

Neon was silent momentarily, just blinking slowly in shock. "Wooow… that is super racist." It was Neon's turn to scoff, her tail flicking in disgust as she stood sharply. "Daddy would be so proud ."

The colour drained from Weiss' face and her eyes widened as Neon's words sobered her like a slap to the face. "Oh gods, no, I… I didn't mean…" She half-rose from her seat and reached for Neon, but the other girl pulled back, glaring at her hand. "I… Neon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like-."

"Yeah? How did you mean it then, huh Weiss? "

"I just…," Weiss sighed and shrunk in on herself as she sank back into her seat, "I thought that since you move so fast, maybe… you know… you burnt it off fast or something too."

Neon just stared at her doubtfully. "Uh huh."

"I swear I didn't mean it insultingly… please, sit down? I'm so sorry…"

Neon eyed her warily, long enough that Weiss was sure she was going to walk away, but finally she sat back down across the table though her gaze remained venomous and her tail twitched with her ire.

Weiss took a deeper breath before speaking. "I… know I have some bad habits that I've picked up from my father, but that doesn't mean I'm him. I'm trying to be better, I'm trying to… to grow past my upbringing. I had a friend back at Beacon who would call me out when I slipped, who was helping me to see other perspectives, not just the ones my father approved of. I guess with everything that's happened, and everything I've been so worried about, I've reverted back to some of my old ways… " She offered Neon a tight smile. "That isn't an excuse — I don't have or deserve one — I just… want you to know I'm not what everyone thinks I am. I know faunus are mostly good people just like humans are, but people like… like my father — like my family — have exploited them horribly. I'm sure you and your family have suffered from the things that have given mine the wealth and privilege we have, and I truly am sorry for that."

Weiss' face fell; she couldn't bring herself to meet Neon's gaze just then, to even look at her, instead turning her eyes to the table and the drinks before the girl, one empty, one untouched. "I'm not my father… I don't have the power or influence he does, but one day I will." Her eyes rose to Neon's, and there was fire in them once more. "I don't have the cruelty he does either, or the heartlessness, or the complete lack of empathy. I want to change things for the better. I want to make the Schnee name one I and my siblings can be proud of, not because of our money but because of the difference we make in the world for humans and faunus alike. I know I have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do, and Blake isn't here to help me anymore. I can't change overnight, but I promise I will change, and… if you still want to be friends, I'd like that."

Neon let Weiss say her piece, just watching quietly and flicking her tail, then finally sighed. "I guess I can't expect someone raised by that to not have some problems… okay Weisscream, we can still be friends." She grabbed her drink and slipped around closer to Weiss.

"I seem to have missed something." A slightly uneasy chuckle rose in Pyrrha's throat upon seeing them there, Neon looking a little more subdued and Weiss as though she'd barely dodged a charging megoliath.

Weiss' tension released in a soft, slow breath, but it was Neon who spoke. "Nah, she just made a giant ass of herself but we're all good now. On oooooooone condition…" That mischievous grin of hers returned.

Oh no…

Pyrrha set Weiss' sparkling water in front of her and slid in beside her. "What condition?" she asked, her brow furrowing and gaze turning from Neon to Weiss and back.

The corner of Neon's mouth rose just a bit more. "This stuff you've been worrying about so much you started slipping, I'm betting it's the same stuff you needed an escape from earlier, yeah?" She leaned in closer to Weiss and tapped her forefinger to the tabletop. "Dish."

Weiss looked to Pyrrha, back to Neon, back to Pyrrha, anywhere for an exit. How could she tell her about… all that!? Her heart pounded in her chest, and not in the good way it had earlier. "I… well, I mean… it's just…"

Neon frowned, and Pyrrha leaned closer, setting her hand on Weiss' arm. "Is this about…?"

Weiss nodded, and Pyrrha returned it slowly then looked to Neon. "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I… did something terribly foolish, and now I…"

Weiss took the opportunity to quench her suddenly-pressing thirst. Thank you Pyr…

Pyrrha paused and shook her head with a sigh. "Something has changed, and neither of us are sure just how much. To be honest, we don't entirely know what's happening and… and we're frightened." She turned her attention fully to Weiss, whose glass now held only ice and lemon peel, though her words were clearly still meant for Neon. "I don't know what happened while I was away, but Weiss has been worried because… she fears she may be losing me." Her hand slid down Weiss' arm to take its counterpart and give a tender squeeze.

Weiss' eyes grew misty and she felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. She returned Pyrrha's squeeze and leaned closer to lay her head against her girlfriend's shoulder, sniffling softly. I can't lose you… I just can't. No matter what it takes, we have to find a way to-

"That's it?" Neon sounded disappointed, and when Weiss and Pyrrha turned incredulous looks to her — apparently confirmation enough — she groaned and took her glass up once more to take a long drink, leaning back dramatically in her seat before sliding back over to the other side of the table.

"I… beg your pardon?"

Neon brought her head back up to meet Pyrrha's gaze. "I thought it was gonna be like a big, juicy thing, but that's just so…. blah. No offence."

No offence!? Seriously!?!?

It was a good thing Pyrrha spoke up before Weiss could snap at Neon. "Sorry to disappoint you, I suppose."

"That's not… oh hey, I did it too!" Neon laughed a little. "Look, I can fix this whole thing for you okay?"

Weiss was about to say something, but Neon's words took her aback. She blinked and looked to Pyrrha, finding her lover gazing down at her; as one they turned to the faunus girl. "Just like that?"

Neon nodded. "Just like that."

"How?"

"Easy. See, you don't actually have a problem at all."

Weiss gave her a sceptical look.

"Just… hear me out. What you have is a maybe problem. Maybe this thing you did was really bad," she gestured and looked to Pyrrha, " maybe you're gonna lose her," likewise to Weiss, "but maybe not, maybe it's nothing at all. See? Maybe problem."

Pyrrha glanced to Weiss, then back to Neon. "Well yes, we know that."

"Do you? Do you understand it? You know you're training to be huntresses, right? Every day you might lose her, and you might lose her , and that's gonna stick with you for the rest of your lives. I mean, it's been true all along, you just didn't know it, but it's really true now."

"I… yeah, we know…" Weiss looked to Pyrrha once again, but her voice was much less indignant than before.

Okay, yeah, I didn't really think that much about it… I mean she's Pyrrha Nikos, and she's a Maiden…

"Uh huh." Neon's expression would've made clear she was unconvinced even if her tone hadn't, which it most certainly did.

"Even so, how does that help?" Pyrrha shifted a little closer to Weiss almost protectively; Weiss unconsciously leaned closer in kind, moulding herself naturally to her lover's side for comfort. "We could leave the Academy today and still this problem would haunt us. I cannot undo what I've done."

"Relax, Berries, that's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?" Weiss looked across to Neon with pleading eyes, clinging now to Pyrrha. Schnee she may be, but if Neon really did have the solution as she claimed, Weiss wasn't too proud to beg her for it. "Please, Neon…"

Neon rolled her eyes. "I'm saying …," she leaned forward and gestured for emphasis, "that worrying about something you can't do anything about doesn't do any good so stop worrying . If the maybe does start to happen, you deal with it then, but until then just live your lives. Otherwise you'll have wasted the time you had if the maybe does happen."

Weiss scoffed and opened her mouth to give a frustrated reply, but she had none, and after a few seconds she found the frustration fading. Strangely enough, Neon made sense in a way, though it wasn't exactly a solution… "Just… stop worrying? That's your fix?"

"Yep."

"It isn't that easy…" Pyrrha's eyes drifted down to Weiss.

"Hey, I never said it was easy, but you've still gotta do it. Gotta live in the now; worrying about maybes just distracts you from what you could and should be doing instead. How are you ever gonna do what feels right if you're too busy worrying about what might go wrong, y'know?"

You have a point…

"I think I might have another round after all…"

Night had fallen by the time the girls emerged from the rundown building whose basement housed the club, and the streets were thoroughly drenched with the rain that still fell. Stepping outside sent a momentary shiver through Pyrrha as the warmth from inside — even in the unoccupied building above the club — gave way to the much cooler air outdoors.

"Are you cold?"

Pyrrha glanced down at Weiss to find icy eyes gazing up at her with enough warmth to banish the chill from the whole city. She must've noticed that shiver… or perhaps she was cold?

"Only a little," she replied before stepping through the door and activating the umbrella, the little robot zipping up above and emitting its dome to shield them from the rain. She half-turned back to offer Weiss her hand with a gentle smile.

Weiss returned it in kind as she took the offered hand and stepped out next to Pyrrha, wrapping an arm around hers. "Well then I better keep you warm," she declared with a soft laugh, drawing a small one from Pyrrha as well.

"Ugh, you two are sickeningly sweet, you know that?" Neon stepped out past them, pulling up the hood of her cat-eared jacket as she went. She withdrew her scroll from her pocket and rapidly tapped out a message, moving a little bit to a song only she could hear.

"Better than being sour like some people," Weiss retorted mock-defensively.

Neon looked askance at her. "Are you calling me a sourpuss? Is that another racist comment!?" Her voice rose, and incensed, she stepped toward the couple with her gaze fixed on Weiss. Pyrrha instinctively curled around her a bit to put herself somewhat between them.

Oh no… I'm certain that wasn't what she meant at all; you must know that, Neon…

Weiss paled and quickly shook her head, her eyes widening and free hand rising between them as though to ward off the misunderstanding. "N-no, that's not what I was saying at all!! I was just-."

Neon burst out laughing. "Relax Weisscream, I'm just messing with you." She clutched at her sides and nearly doubled over shaking with laughter, leaving Pyrrha and Weiss to exchange confused looks and slowly relax.

"You're… not mad at me?"

"Nah, I just had to get you back for before. You should've seen your face!" Neon's laughter slowly faded off.

Pyrrha frowned. "That wasn't funny, Neon."

"It kinda was." Neon sniggered a little more, lifting her hand and pinching her fingers almost together. "A little bit." She struggled — and failed — to hold back more, ending up snorting a bit before finally falling quiet with a sigh.

"What if-?"

Neon cut Pyrrha off, gesturing for emphasis. "There you go again with the maybes! Live in the moment, remember?"

Pyrrha blinked; she considered even a situation like this a 'maybe'?

"But this…"

Neon sighed dramatically. "Look, it's easy. 'What if' what… I hurt her feelings? Well, then we're even, but I apologise and we move on. What if I make her self-conscious about what she says? Good, she should be." Neon's eyes flicked down to Weiss'. "That's what you wanted, right? That's what that Blake girl did for you before?"

Weiss hesitated briefly, then nodded just a touch. "Well, yeah, but-."

"See? Or maybe what if it ruins our friendship?" Neon spread her arms. "This is me, I like to mess with people. She's seen it before and she knows I don't mean any harm by it. I like who I am, so if that means we can't be friends then that sucks but I'm not gonna stop being me. So we good, or is this maybe problem an actual problem to deal with?"

Weiss squeezed Pyrrha's arm before responding; whether seeking comfort or reassurance or simply to relieve some tension so it wouldn't show in her voice, Pyrrha wasn't sure, but she gave a gentle one of her own in return. "No… we're good, it's fine."

"Awesome!" Neon smiled — genuinely it seemed — then looked back up to Pyrrha. "See? No problem, no reason to have worried. Live in the moment!" Her scroll chimed and she pulled it from her pocket only to groan. "Hey, you guys think you can get back on your own? My mom's going mental over the rain."

Pyrrha looked down to Weiss and, seeing no objection in her eyes, nodded. "Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. Is your mother alright?"

"Great, thanks. Yeah, she's-." Neon's scroll chimed again, and her eyes widened when she looked at it. "Crap, I gotta go. Laters!"

"Uh, sure? See you later." Weiss looked as confused as Pyrrha felt, until Neon quickly made a call whilst extending her skate wheels, one side of which they could partially hear as she sped away.

"Just use the bucket! … I told you we can't do that tonight. … Because you can't while it's raining! … No. … No, I-. … Do not go up there!! … Don't you do it! Don't you-!!"

The girls watched the rainbow trail vanish into the night, staring after Neon momentarily before Pyrrha spoke up. "Do you think she'll be alright?"

"She'll be fine. I don't really know her that well but she strikes me as the kind of person who can take care of herself." Weiss turned to look up to Pyrrha. "Were you watching the way we came in?"

"A little, but I was watching for danger more than paying attention to the route…" Pyrrha blushed a little at the admission.

"Yeah, me either… I guess we should just head that way until we hit a street where we can get an air taxi?" Weiss gestured in the direction of the floating Atlas.

"We could…"

Weiss' eyes turned to Pyrrha once more, her head tilting a bit. "But?"

Pyrrha glanced away as a pang of guilt struck her. "Just… I suppose I didn't realise how much I needed to get out of the Academy, and now that we're here…" She turned her face to meet Weiss' gaze — mostly. "Would you… walk with me awhile, before we go back?"

Weiss blinked, then smiled and laid her head on Pyrrha's chest for a moment. "Of course I will… I'll go anywhere you want."

Pyrrha smiled and kissed her brow, holding her briefly before they set off at a leisurely pace, accompanied by the sounds and smells of the rain-soaked city. They walked in silence for a time, arm in arm, simply enjoying one another's presence and warmth and taking in the sights of the lower city that neither was familiar with. Through the alleys and backstreets they walked until they found themselves on what seemed a significant enough avenue — decently lit by the standards of outer Mantle and with signs of life — and there they turned to walk along its side, and by the time they'd gone a few blocks Pyrrha began to notice glares coming from an upper window here, a passing car there.

Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea…

She frowned a little and was about to say something about it when Weiss broke the silence herself.

"Do you think she could be right? Neon, I mean."

Pyrrha blinked, turning her gaze from the corner diner they were passing — rather, from the bitter-looking old man behind the bar — to Weiss.

"About the 'maybe problems'?"

Weiss nodded. "Yeah."

Pyrrha considered. "Well… it's certainly a very different way to do things. I understand the appeal, but… I fear it may simply be forcing the burden of responsibility onto another. What if General Ironwood had thought that way of Beacon? We would all be dead and the whole kingdom lost."

Weiss glanced away slightly. "True… but Uncle James had credible intel, all we have is my fear. And I… I think she might have a point."

Pyrrha stopped for a moment and turned to face Weiss fully, the motion all but forcing Weiss to do likewise and briefly adding the crinkling of shopping bags to the sound of rain. "You believe we ought to simply stop worrying and do as we will, come what may?"

"I… I don't know, Pyr. Maybe? But she's right about us being huntresses; I've been so worried about losing you to this that I forgot I could lose you to Grimm, or Cinder, o-or Salem!"

Pyrrha winced — there were more people looking, more people glaring… were they paying attention to what was being said?

"Weiss, I-."

"I know you're strong… you're Pyrrha Nikos , and now you're even stronger, but… but no one's invincible, not even you."

Pyrrha pressed closer to wrap her other arm around Weiss and pull her in tight, kissing the top of her head and burying her face in Weiss' damp hair. "I know… I know I'm not. I hate that name…" She just held Weiss for the space of a few slow breaths before speaking again, softer than before. "You're right, tomorrow is never guaranteed, especially in the life we've chosen, but what would you have me do? If I could stand by and let evil flourish while I do nothing, I wouldn't be your Pyrrha… even if I could walk away from the path of the huntress, sooner or later I will be hunted down and killed if I'm not prepared."

Weiss pressed in as well, shaking her head a little at the question. "I don't know, but I know we can't keep going the way we have. You're wearing down, and so am I. Maybe Neon isn't totally right, but… she makes some sense, doesn't she?"

Pyrrha pulled back just a bit to look down to her lover's face. "I can't agree with the way she does whatever she pleases… she may have a good heart, but that is nevertheless reckless."

"That wasn't the part I meant…" Weiss shook her head. "I mean the 'maybe problems'. She takes it too far, but… she's also kind of right. We've been worried sick about something we have no control over."

"Your fears may prove right; I may be changing without even knowing… I could hurt you, even-." She couldn't bring herself to say it, her words catching in her throat… she would stop herself by any means before that.

"That's what I mean, Pyr; that's the kind of thing you shouldn't have to worry so much about. I'm a big girl, you don't have to protect me like a porcelain doll, least of all from yourself."

Pyrrha sighed. "I don't know if I can do that, you're too important to me…"

"Just think about it, okay? When I first started out at Beacon I thought I had to be perfect, so that's what I tried to be, with everything. It was stressful, and I failed… badly." Weiss blushed. "You remember."

Pyrrha felt her smile more than she really showed it, her mood lifted by the memories — not of Weiss' dreadful first weeks, but rather their early interactions and the context she now understood them in. "Somewhat, yes."

Weiss gave her a look at once scolding for the lie — and the suggestion she'd forgotten some of their shared memories — and thankful for sparing her pride. "It took me awhile to learn that I didn't have to be perfect; I didn't have to carry all the weight and do it all myself to prove my worth. I think… the motivation is different, but I think maybe that's what we've been doing, and maybe we don't have to. Maybe you don't have to. So just… think about it."

Pyrrha nodded softly. "That's something I can do." She leaned down to plant a tender kiss on Weiss' lips.

Live in the moment.

She lingered for the space of a breath, then another, then scooped Weiss up, lifting her girlfriend to her tiptoes and turning the kiss positively torrid; she received a surprised squeak in reply. After the momentary shock wore off, Pyrrha felt Weiss mould herself to her as a tremor shook the smaller girl. She held her there until her lungs ached for air, until she was sure the heat she felt within her and against her must be steaming in the cold, wet air and the thunderous drumming of her heartbeat drowned out the storm and must be shaking the ground for blocks in every direction.

When Pyrrha finally eased her back down, Weiss swayed unsteadily on her feet and Pyrrha felt the need to hold her upright for fear she might fall otherwise, or perhaps she only told herself that to excuse keeping her close a few moments longer. Nevertheless, she was certainly woozy, left flushed and breathless.

"Wh… what was… that…?"

"What felt right in the moment." Pyrrha smiled down to her, touching her brow to Weiss'. "She does make some sense." She placed another, much lighter kiss on still-parted lips, then pulled back and looked aside to the diner window, where now it seemed every eye within stared out at them, one or two sets with the same sort of fawning interest those in the city above had, but the rest more resentful. Her smile faded a bit. "We should probably go before we need to be saved from another crowd," she commented softly, her eyes only returning to Weiss' after she'd finished speaking.

Or the crowd needs to be saved from us …

It took Weiss a few seconds to process what she was saying, a few seconds of smiling that hidden smile of hers before she blinked several times and looked to the window to notice the audience they'd gathered. "Yeah… I guess we should…"

Pyrrha tilted her head a little, her gaze remaining on her girlfriend. Weiss sounded disappointed… did she really want to just… stay there like that, even with everyone watching? Even knowing those glares were likely meant for her? Pyrrha's smile returned in full — it had been some time since they'd been able to relax and just… be , to truly enjoy one another's company like they used to without everything else hanging over them.

Pyrrha turned and Weiss followed suit, and together the girls continued down the street arm in arm once more. For awhile neither said a word, and neither needed to; simply being there was enough.

Do what feels right…

Pyrrha looked over to Weiss, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. When what felt right was kissing her it was the easiest thing in the world, but it wasn't always so easy. She'd been doing what felt right at Beacon too, and look how that turned out.

You're ignoring the other part.

Pyrrha's gaze dropped a little. It was true, she knew. What she'd done at Beacon only felt right because of the fear of what might happen if she didn't that Professor Ozpin and the others had put in her; in the moment, all she wanted to do was stay with Weiss and her friends, fight by their sides and keep them safe.

I can't just go about with no plan, heedless of the future and its pitfalls… that's far too reckless, far too dangerous, especially for Weiss.

But then… that wasn't really the point, was it? Perhaps Neon took things to that extreme — Pyrrha honestly couldn't say, thought she wouldn't be terribly surprised — but her point had been not to worry about things beyond one's control.

So don't worry about what might happen tomorrow — deal with that tomorrow if it does happen, but for today, do what feels right now .

"What feels right…," Pyrrha murmured under her breath.

Weiss must have come out of her own reverie — or been drawn out by Pyrrha's voice — for she looked up to her lover. "Hmm?"

"Oh, just thinking." She smiled fondly to Weiss and gave her arm a light squeeze.

As her eyes swept ahead of them once more, they passed over a young woman across the street heading quickly in the opposite direction. She was tall — almost as tall as Pyrrha herself, she thought, though it was difficult to tell exactly with the way she was hunched over and hugging herself for warmth — and wore an oft-patched jacket over ill-fitting trousers, both soaked through and so threadbare Pyrrha was amazed they hadn't simply fallen apart already; she assumed that whatever was beneath the jacket must be in the same sorry state.

Do what feels right.

Weiss took a half-step past Pyrrha as she slowed to a stop — all their linked arms would allow — then turned to look up to her with inquiring eyes. "Something wrong?"

Pyrrha met her gaze, slipping her arm free — that earned her a frown — and giving her a small, apologetic smile. "Just a moment. I'll… be right back." Leaving the umbrella floating above Weiss, she turned and darted across the street to intercept the woman she saw, clutching her shopping bag close to her front and leaning forward a little to shield it from the rain with her body.

The woman clearly hadn't been paying much attention, for she gave a start when she found her path suddenly blocked and nearly ran headlong into Pyrrha. She was saved from what promised to be a rather nasty fall only by Pyrrha's quick reflexes allowing for a hand to reach her in time, but even so was left obviously distressed.

"What's wrong with you!? Why would you jump out in front of me like that!?," the woman huffed, reaching to brace herself against the building nearby — thankfully one with an awning — to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, it's just I saw you from across the street and-."

The woman blinked a few times, recognition dawning now that she'd actually taken the opportunity to look at who she was talking to. "You're that girl from the tournament! Th-the one that tore that robot girl apart!!"

Pyrrha's countenance fell, and she looked away. "Yes…" Her voice was barely above a whisper, barely even audible over the rain.

The woman's eyes went wide and her face paled. "P-please don't hurt me!! You can take whatever you want!!"

Pyrrha's eyes snapped back up, now wide as well. "What? You think…" Her hand rose to cover her mouth momentarily, then she took a step back and lifted both hands palm forward. "N-no, I would never! I actually came over here to give you something…"

The woman flinched as Pyrrha's hands rose, but when no attack came she relaxed a little and gave Pyrrha a confused look. "To… give me something?"

Pyrrha nodded. "That's right." She let her arms fall back down and reached into the bag, rummaging around a few moments before pulling out a sweater and a long, warm skirt. "Here, I thought you might like these."

The woman's eyes widened again, but in a far different way this time, and she tentatively reached for the clothing, turning it over in her hands. "Is this…?"

Pyrrha smiled softly, though it didn't fully reach her eyes — the woman's earlier comments stung. "Pashmina, yes."

Her breath caught. "I-I was going to say 'natural'!" Her eyes narrowed a bit suspiciously. "Why do you want to give me this?"

Pyrrha's brow furrowed slightly at the woman's expression. "You look to be about my size, and need it far more than I. Is that not enough?"

The woman gave a bitter laugh under her breath. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch, I just want to help."

"Uppers never help without a catch."

"Uppers? Oh." Pyrrha smiled and shook her head. "Well, I'm not an 'Upper', I'm Mistrali, so I won't tell if you won't."

The woman laughed again, less bitterly. "You think I don't know you eloped with Weiss Schnee? It was all over the papers! You may be from Mistral, but you're an Upper now. But okay Miss Tournament, I guess you're alright."

The woman's words hit Pyrrha like a charging boarbatusk between the eyes. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide, and she blushed so brightly it was a wonder she didn't start to glow. She tried to respond but her brain wouldn't form words and even if it did, her breath was caught in her throat and it was all but a given that they would've come out as gibberish anyway.

The woman looked at Pyrrha, just standing there and staring like a rabbit in headlights, and quirked a brow at her. "Uh… thanks then. You have a nice night." She walked around Pyrrha and continued on her way, again moving quickly but now trying to take care to keep her gifts under her jacket and out of the rain as much as possible.

She thinks Weiss and I eloped? The papers think we eloped!? Elope must mean something else here. Yes, that must be it. Except it seemed like it meant what I know it to mean by the way she said it… But that's crazy, right!? Weiss and I just running off and getting married like that? We've only been dating a few months! It's crazy!! Except I know I love her, I know it with all my heart, and she knows it. She almost died for me! So is it really that crazy?? But oh gods she hasn't met Mother. Mother is… a lot. What if she can't handle her? What am I saying, she handled Jacques Schnee . What if I can't handle him ? No, no, you can do it Pyrrha, for Weiss you can do it. Maybe we should. Maybe we should just go do it!

"Pyrrha?"

"Maybe we should just elope!!"

Pyrrha didn't realise she'd blurted her thoughts out loud for a moment, not until it finally registered that she wasn't staring at empty street anymore, she was staring at her very, very shocked girlfriend. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth and she shook her head in short, rapid movements, her eyes locked on Weiss'.

"I'm sorry!! I didn't mean-!" Pyrrha cut herself off, shaking her head more fully and waving a hand defensively. "I-I did mean to, but not like… I was going to eventually , not-."

Weiss looked this way and that, her mind clearly racing to catch up after the unexpected system shock she'd just received. "I… c-could you maybe… slow down and explain?"

Pyrrha's heart felt as though it were in her throat, attempting to leap out with every pounding beat; she swallowed it down as best she could. "I… y-yes, of course. That woman, she… she said she knew we had eloped… that it was all over the papers. So I thought 'that's crazy' because of course we haven't, but I realised it's not so crazy and-."

"Yeah, I got that part."

Weiss was blushing brightly. Pyrrha knew it was a pale reflection of her own crimson — her face hurt and she thought she might just die of shame. A protracted silence lingered before she spoke once more. "I'm sorry Weiss, I don't know what-."

"No."

Pyrrha blinked. "No?"

"My answer."

Pyrrha tilted her head. An answer to an apology? But… oh. Immediately her countenance fell, far more than it had even when the woman had reminded her of her accident with Penny. "I… I see…" She looked away to conceal the tears she could feel beginning to build.

"Hey." Weiss sighed, stepping in closer and reaching up to cup Pyrrha's cheek. Her touch was as tender as ever as she guided Pyrrha's face to gaze into her eyes; Pyrrha gave no resistance — she couldn't bring herself to.

Weiss smiled up to her. "I do want to marry you, Pyrrha Nikos, but we're not eloping ." She draped her arms around Pyrrha's neck. "When we do it I want all our friends to be there, and Winter and Whitley, and whatever family you want. I don't want to sneak off in the middle of the night, I want to declare to the whole world that I'm yours and you're mine and we wanted everyone to know it. And that… may take awhile, but I think it's worth it. Deal?"

Weiss' words quickly brought Pyrrha's spirits back from the depths to soar, and emerald eyes began to fill with tears of a different sort as they gazed into their icy reflections, so soulful and longing that not for the first time Pyrrha found herself falling into them and wondering how it was she'd ever managed to misjudge her dearest so, to ever deny those eyes a thing.

"Deal."

Pyrrha sniffled, happy tears trickling down her cheeks as Weiss rose to her tiptoes to kiss her deeply; Pyrrha bent down a little to meet her. Weiss could've asked her for just about anything in that moment and the answer would've been the same — if it brought a smile to her face and a light to her eyes, Pyrrha would do it, and do it gladly. After a short while — Pyrrha couldn't say how long, as her sense of time and most everything else fell by the wayside the moment Weiss' lips touched hers — Weiss lowered back to her heels.

"You know it's just going to get worse, right? What people think about us, the things they say… it's only going to get crazier."

Pyrrha's smile faltered just a little. "I know… I expected rumours, but the papers? Are there no laws about things like that here?"

Weiss sighed and looked away. "Not anymore…" Pyrrha frowned; her tone was bitter… something personal perhaps? Whatever it was, Weiss clearly didn't feel like elaborating on it just now and Pyrrha wasn't going to pry. Instead she simply gave her lover a squeeze and nuzzled against her for a moment, until her attention was drawn by the distant electronic chiming of a clock.

Already?

Pyrrha took a few slow breaths, just enjoying the moment for awhile longer, before finally pulling away. "I suppose it's time to go back…" She couldn't keep a melancholic note from her voice, nor a wistful sigh from escaping as she began to turn back, but Weiss' hand took hold of hers to stop her.

"It doesn't have to be…"

Pyrrha stopped, then twisted to face Weiss once more with an inquiring look.

"We don't have class tomorrow morning, Winter and Uncle James will be discussing curriculum changes with the Aces, so…," Weiss blushed and glanced down, her eyes flicking up every few seconds to ascertain Pyrrha's reaction. "We could… stay the night?" She toed the ground a little nervously. "I-if you want."

Pyrrha blinked — she wouldn't have even thought of such a thing — but smiled happily, turning fully back to Weiss and moving in closer once more with a nod. "That sounds grand! Yes, I'd love to."

Weiss beamed up to her, and the girls set off down the street once more in search of a hotel.

Weiss sat on the bed idly flicking through the channels on the TV, her still-damp hair sticking to her skin and the sound of Pyrrha's shower providing a steady background to the changing sound from the screen.

"-where you'll get the best prices in Atlas!" Click.

She wasn't really paying attention, just waiting… for the sound of the shower to stop, for Pyrrha to emerge. It had become something of a ritual since they'd come to Atlas. There were no papers to research here, no readings to do — the classes, such as they were, were long and gruelling at times, but when they were over for the day, aside from perhaps a few exercises to practise, the night belonged to the girls alone.

"-just…guys, okay? Mr. White… he’s-." Click.

Evening showers were, of course, practically mandatory given the intensity of their training — it would be patently ridiculous to clean in the morning and immediately proceed to sweat all day, not to mention the field exercises they sometimes conducted — and ever thoughtful, Pyrrha always insisted that Weiss go first, which unless she had something to occupy herself with left her to wait. Often, she would have messaged Winter, or practised one of the Aura techniques she was having trouble with, and on any other night she would have changed into her pyjamas… but this was not any other night.

"-made them in a test tube, but they don't know that. These Grimm are thinking, 'I gotta hunt. I gotta-'." Click.

Tonight, she could barely summon the focus to activate her Aura, much less to project it in any of the more esoteric ways Vine had been teaching them. Tonight, her sister was the farthest thing from her mind, and she had no pyjamas to change into, so there she sat still wrapped in the towel she'd worn out of the bathroom.

"-now to celebrity news, Weiss Schnee was spotted outside Atlas Academy today for the first time since her return from Vale. She was seen in the Humboldt district shopping with her new sweetheart Pyrrha Nikos. According to witnesses, the couple — dubbed 'Schneekos' on social media — seemed to be troubled, leading some to suspect this may be a short-lived-." Weiss huffed at that and angrily pressed the button to turn off the TV. How dare they say something like that! Suggesting she and Pyrrha had run off together was one thing, but that they would have a short-lived romance!? Unthinkable! Unconscionable!!

"Weiss?"

Weiss turned sideways to the bathroom door and her breath caught. She'd seen Pyrrha in just a towel many times before — when you lived and trained with someone, such things were to be expected — but this was different. This wasn't just cleaning off after a day of sparring or field training, nor changing from uniforms to combat gear or pyjamas, and they weren't in the Academy. The light here was dimmer and warmer, and it didn't just illuminate Pyrrha, it caressed her; it both made her glow and cast her in shadow in such a way that Weiss was suddenly very aware of how little they were wearing, even if it was thicker than the pyjamas she was used to.

Pyrrha's brow was furrowed, her eyes fixed on Weiss. "Is everything alright? You looked upset." She began to move closer.

"Yeah…" Her mouth was dry. Why was her mouth dry? Why did she sound like that? Weiss swallowed to try and fix it, heart pounding and eyes locked on the approaching goddess.

"I'm… fine… I-I'm good."

Oh no. Ooooh nonono. This was bad, this was very bad. She had felt like this before on occasion, but then… then she'd always had something holding her back — her teammates and Pyrrha's at Beacon, her injuries, and of late their worries had preoccupied her enough that it hadn't come up, but now… now they were alone, and Pyrrha was right there and…

Pyrrha frowned and sat down on the side of the bed. "No secrets, no lies, remember? What's wrong?" She reached out to brush her fingers against Weiss' cheek; the movement caused her towel to slip just a little.

Weiss' eyes flitted to the shifting towel and she bit back a whimper. It wasn't fair… it wasn't!! Why now!? She shifted a little unconsciously, clutching her own towel closer to her body.

"I remember…" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Why couldn't this have happened a few weeks from now? By then the surgeon Cerise Maru recommended would be back from Mistral and she could be whole again, but now…

"So?" Pyrrha prompted as she shifted closer, leaning over to kiss Weiss' brow. Weiss trembled, finding herself drawn in; this close, Pyrrha was irresistible — not that she wanted to resist, not really. She tilted her head into Pyrrha's hand and met her gaze, feeling warmth rise to the surface of her skin; Pyrrha would see she was flushed, most certainly, the only question was whether or not she would mistake it purely for embarrassment.

Weiss' hand lifted to cup Pyrrha's cheek whilst its twin held fast to her towel. "I-I want…to…" Her eyes dipped down along Pyrrha's seated form and she bit her lip, pausing to take a steadying breath. "But I…," she fidgeted uncomfortably, "right now, I'm… broken , so I…" Weiss looked away in frustration, her hand falling from Pyrrha's face as the other squeezed harder at her towel.

Pyrrha turned her face to kiss Weiss' palm, blinking and tilting her head a little. "You want to…?" It took her a second, her eyes following Weiss', before the implication registered for her. "Oh! Oh my." She blushed and looked away momentarily, but couldn't hide a smile as well, if indeed she was trying to. As soon as Weiss spoke of being broken, however, Pyrrha's eyes were back on her, concern marring her features.

"What would ever make you think such a thing?" Her hand moved to take Weiss' tenderly.

Weiss' looked down to their clasped hands. "Seriously? Who wouldn't want to-?"

"Not that. Why would you think you're broken, Weiss?"

Of course her deflection didn't work; she hadn't really expected it to, only tried it out of habit in all honesty. "Because it's true…" Weiss sighed. "If you saw me under this, you'd understand…"

"…That you are wonderful, and beautiful, and if anyone else were calling you 'broken' they would have a great deal of trouble on their hands." Pyrrha smiled adoringly.

Weiss simply stared in shock for a moment. That…no, that didn't make sense. "Pyr, I… sure, I was beautiful before… everything… but now…"

"Weiss…," Pyrrha sighed, briefly looking down to her lap before meeting her lover's gaze once more. "You're far too hard on yourself. I was with you almost the entire time you were in the infirmary; do you think I haven't seen beneath that?" She nodded to Weiss' towel.

Weiss froze; she'd never considered that before. Pyrrha had already seen them? Her heart quickened further, new fear setting in — how much had she seen? Was she covered by bandages? Surely the nurses would've at least cleared the room to change those wouldn't they? She must not have seen just how bad it was, or else-.

"May I?" Pyrrha was leaning over her now, looming almost, her hand touching Weiss' that held her towel up. She was soft where her body brushed Weiss, so soft despite her strength — Weiss knew that, but it wasn't the same! — and the scent of her skin and hair flooded Weiss' senses.

Weiss tried to reply, she really did, but all that came out was a faint, breathless squeak. She settled instead for a short, shaky nod, and let her hand fall away. This was very bad, but she was helpless, a sailor captive to a siren's song. Her siren's song.

Pyrrha smiled and gently, ever so gently, pulled at the towel until it came loose and fell away, then tossed it aside on the bed. Her eyes slid down to Weiss' abdomen, to the scars that bothered her so, then back up to meet her gaze. "I was wrong. You aren't just beautiful, you're radiant ."

Weiss blushed — not that anyone would be able to tell — and fidgeted again, wringing her hands a bit. "You're just saying that…"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I'm not." She sighed, leaning over to take hold of several of the pillows and pile them up. "Will you indulge me a moment?"

Weiss watched what Pyrrha was doing with curious eyes — why pile the pillows like that now of all times? — but nodded.

Pyrrha gave her another smile, returning to Weiss' side and guiding her to lie back onto the pile. "I want you to understand something, Weiss. I need you to understand it, alright?"

"Okay…" Weiss' response was soft and breathy, transfixed by her lover.

Pyrrha nodded. "There are people who believe that your scars make you less beautiful, people whose opinion I fear has influenced you in ways it ought not have. Those people are wrong ." Her voice was soft and loving, but firm as steel. "Your scars each tell a story…," She reached to caress Weiss' face, just below her eye where the arma gigas had slashed down through. "A story of defiance and the conviction to live as you see fit…," her hand slid down Weiss' neck and chest to trace fingertips along the lines of her newer scars, left by Cinder beneath the Beacon CCT tower. "A story of love and your determination to protect it… of a monster to whom you would not yield, even in the face of certain death…" Her hand rose once more to cup Weiss' jaw, and she slid her body up a bit higher to lean close and gaze into Weiss' eyes. "Your stories are precious; never let anyone make you feel ashamed of them, or of the proof they leave on your skin. They are all a part of you, and you are magnificent ."

Weiss listened, and watched, and trembled at those tender touches. She couldn't argue, and not only because it was Pyrrha — well, thinking about it later, she would realise she probably could argue with someone other than Pyrrha, but they still would've been right. And then she found she was trembling even without the touches — no, scratch that, trembling didn't come with blurry vision; she was crying — and she lifted herself up to wrap her arms around Pyrrha's neck, feeling her girlfriend's go around her back to support her in turn and gingerly stroke her hair. She buried her face in Pyrrha's hair, damp though it was, just holding her there, or rather being held by her, for long moments before finally speaking.

"Thank you, Pyrrha… I love you, so much…"

Pyrrha gave her a gentle squeeze and nuzzled back. "You're most welcome. I love you , Weiss. All of you." She pulled back slowly and eased Weiss to the pillows again to look her in the eyes, bringing a hand back and brushing away her tears. "You are not broken. Do you understand?"

Weiss nodded softly. "Yeah…," she sniffled, "yeah, I understand."

"Then say it."

"…I'm not broken…"

Pyrrha gave her a little smile, but Weiss couldn't help but feel there was a gentle scolding there as she tilted her head forward a little. "Say it with conviction. Mean it."

Weiss gave Pyrrha a look. "I'm not broken." Still, she felt the corners of her lips turning up a little.

"And I love all of you." Pyrrha's smile grew, and Weiss' in turn.

"And you love all of me."

How is someone so perfect even real?

Pyrrha beamed. "This part," she slid her hand down along Weiss' arm to guide it up to her face, where she placed a light kiss on her wrist.

Weiss giggled and gave her a loving yet playfully-annoyed look. "Okay, I get it. You don't have to demonstrate."

Pyrrha placed another kiss at her forearm, then the inside of her elbow. "And this part, and this." She returned that playful look, her smile unwavering. "Oh, I really think I do. And this," she kissed her neck, "and this," her eye scar, "and this," her voice softer as she pressed a longer, deeper kiss to Weiss' lips.

When Pyrrha withdrew — just a little, just far enough that Weiss could look into her eyes and feel her breath on her face — she hesitated a moment. There was a question in her eyes, unspoken but unmistakable, and Weiss felt the heat again. Pyrrha didn't care about her scars — no, Pyrrha loved her scars, as she loved all the rest of her. To Pyrrha, she wasn't broken at all, she was beautiful. She saw Weiss — all of Weiss — and wasn't repulsed, she was asking 'do you still want to?'. Weiss' heart raced and she held Pyrrha's gaze for a long moment, then gave a soft nod, which Pyrrha returned before trailing more kisses down Weiss' body, making sure to touch on her scars.

Soon all thought of brokenness was gone, all worry of newscasters and rumours and even Salem fled from her mind. Soon all thought was gone, in fact, save of Pyrrha — suffusing her every sense, permeating her to the very core — and that moment. Neither girl slept terribly long that night, but what they got was the best sleep either had had in quite some time, deep and unperturbed with the other happily cuddled close.

Consciousness slowly returned to Weiss, and she met it with a soft groan. She hated mornings… especially after such a wonderful night, why did morning have to come? She rolled over to escape the brightness and was suddenly struck by the lack of Pyrrha's warmth and softness beside her.

"Pyr…?" she murmured sleepily as she reached out in search of her girlfriend, to no avail.

Weiss opened her eyes, wincing against the light and pushing herself up partway. "Pyrrha?"

She looked around the room. Could she have imagined it? No… no, this was definitely the hotel room they'd rented in Mantle, and there were their discarded towels; Weiss blushed, but smiled as her thoughts went to the previous night's events. It wasn't a dream, dreamy as it may have been, but nevertheless Pyrrha wasn't here. Had she done something that upset her? Weiss frowned, drawing her legs up and casting about for her scroll, only for her attention to be called to the sound of the door's lock clicking a moment before the door itself swung open.

Pyrrha entered wearing the other new outfit she'd bought — grey leggings beneath a pleated black skirt and an ivory scoop neck top over which was an open carmine cardigan — with a drink carrier in one hand and a paper bag in the other. The moment she laid eyes on Weiss her face lit up brighter than the sun outside.

"Good morning!" Her voice had that musical lilt it sometimes did, and if Weiss weren't already beaming back at her she would've after hearing it.

Weiss followed Pyrrha with her eyes as she approached the bed and set the bag down, then handed one of the cups to her before removing the other from the carrier for herself. "I thought you might like some coffee and breakfast." She leaned in to kiss Weiss sweetly before retrieving a breakfast sandwich for Weiss and one for herself, then sitting next to her lover.

"My hero! You didn't have to do all that, though, there's a coffee machine in the room." Weiss nodded toward the aforementioned device, then took a sip from her coffee.

Pyrrha arched a brow, looking to Weiss over the rim of her own cup; hers would be tea, Weiss knew. "Would you really want me making your coffee? I thought you might prefer not to tarnish this memory."

Weiss gave a sheepish little laugh. "I-I'm sure it would've been fine."

Pyrrha just stared at her for a moment with an amused half-smile. "Last time you asked if I had won my tournaments by poisoning my competition."

And that was how Weiss knew Pyrrha's would be tea. "I wasn't serious!" Her face was nearly as red as Pyrrha's hair.

"Of course." Pyrrha sipped her tea, maintaining that half-smile — perhaps a little more than half. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Weiss decided to do just that; after all, it was difficult to put her foot in her mouth if she was busy filling it with sandwich and coffee. Delicious sandwich and coffee, too — Pyrrha may not be able to make it, but she sure could find a good place in an unfamiliar neighbourhood.

Once they finished eating, Weiss got dressed and attended to hygiene whilst Pyrrha gathered their things together.

"Hey Pyr?" Weiss turned from the mirror after putting her hair in her trademark side tail.

"Hmm?"

She turned her back to the mirror. "Last night was good… right?"

Pyrrha appeared in the doorway, smiling down to her. "Yes Weiss, last night was wonderful. You're wonderful." She stepped closer, tucking a stray hair back behind Weiss' ear and cupping her cheek. "We needed this."

Weiss smiled and blushed, turning her face into the touch and looking away for a second before meeting her gaze once more. "Yeah… we really did. But I mean, even before…, " she bit her lip and glanced away again briefly. "It was good, right?"

Pyrrha blinked and tilted her head curiously. "Well, yes, it was a lovely evening. Why do you ask?"

"I think…," Weiss fidgeted a little. "I think Neon was right. I think I messed up, and all of this stress and worry has all been for nothing…"

Pyrrha's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I think…," Weiss sighed, deflating a bit and turning her gaze downward. "When I woke up after Beacon and heard about Salem and… everything — even before that really, when you were in that horrible machine screaming like you were dying and there was nothing I could do, and I knew I couldn't beat Cinder and as soon as she got past me she would kill you — since then I've just…" Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat and looked back up to Pyrrha with misty eyes. "I've been… terrified of losing you, and… and I think I might've… overreacted."

"Weiss…"

"Please, Pyr… I need to say this."

Pyrrha looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright."

"Thank you." Weiss offered a little smile. "Last night was the best night we've had in a long time, and not just because of…," her eyes flicked to the rumpled bed. "It's also because we were just… being , not worrying about everything. Living in the moment, like Neon said. I'm not saying we shouldn't plan ahead or anything, but… I think she's right that this is a maybe problem we shouldn't be worrying about. You've always had a good heart and a strong sense for right, Pyrrha… I'm sorry I ever started doubting you, but I'm ready to admit my mistake and stop , and I think you need to, too."

Pyrrha shook her head slowly as she took a shaky breath, her eyes glistening now as well. "Everything you said before could still end up being true… are you sure you can trust me, Weiss? Are you sure that… that I should trust myself?"

Weiss nodded, reaching up to cup Pyrrha's jaw. "Yeah… I am. You're the best person I know, Pyrrha, the best person I've ever known, and what I saw you do out there last night, what you did for me… it reminded me of just how incredible you are. If we can't trust you, there's no one in the world we can trust."

Weiss' words clearly had an effect on Pyrrha; tears trickled down her cheeks briefly before she wiped them away, and she sniffled but smiled a conflicted smile, stepping closer to embrace Weiss and hold her close.

"Oh Weiss…," she kissed the top of her lover's head. "I'll try to do as you ask, but… I'm not as good as you think I am. If I do good and right, it's only because of you… you give me the strength to even be here. If it weren't for you, I would be locked away in a secret room somewhere, hidden from the world by a paranoid old man and thinking that it was my destiny." Pyrrha withdrew just a bit, enough to lean down and meet Weiss' gaze. " You are my destiny. If I'm to do this, you must promise me that if your concerns do begin to prove true — if I do begin to slip away — you will do whatever you must to protect yourself."

Weiss tried to ignore the pain that shot through her heart at the thought of such a terrible thing, forcing a thin smile and an unsteady nod. "Okay." She leaned into Pyrrha's embrace once more, resting her head on her chest. "You know, thinking like that just proves you really are you."

Pyrrha chuckled softly and stroked Weiss' hair, and for a time the girls just held each other, until it was time to leave the hotel and Mantle behind and get back to the Academy. It wouldn't do to leave the general waiting.

#my writing #fanfic #schneekos #pyrrha x weiss #rwby au #rwby pyrrha #rwby weiss #weiss schnee #pyrrha nikos #rwby

8 notes · View notes

theunredeemable · 3 years

Link

The sound of metal gently striking against ceramic filled the serene silence that permeated the cozy, Mistral-styled kitchen as Pyrrha tapped a spoon on the rim of her mug. A warm, happy smile graced her countenance as she grabbed her drink, the emblem of Beacon Academy emblazoned on its face. Inhaling the calming scent of her hot chocolate, she sat down at the freshly cleaned table, flipping open her laptop. While she waited for it to finish its boot up cycle, she looked out the window, sipping her drink. Snow was gently drifting down from the heavens, carried upon gentle winds as it coated the trees and ground in a fresh blanket of white, turning the land into a veritable winter wonderland. The sight filled her with an inner warmth, despite the pervasive cold that accompanied the weather. It was one of the many things that she had come to love about Vale.

Her ruminations were cut short as a beep from the laptop brought her attention back to the present. Looking at the screen she saw it had finished turning on, and the graduation photo of teams RWBY and JNPR greeted her. Another beep informed her that she had received a message. Taking another sip, she opened up the app and quickly read through her backlog of messages, before moving the cursor over to the call button, and clicking it. Settling down in her seat, she waited while it rang, the symbol of the Schnee Dust Company rotating on a black screen, before it was replaced with the face of Weiss, who was looking away from the camera, speaking to someone unseen. "Honey, would you kindly grab me a cup of coffee? Thank you. Oh! Pyrrha! Good morning."

"Hello!" Pyrrha's smile widened as she waved at the camera, placing her mug down on the table. "It's wonderful to see you again. How have you both been?"

"We're both doing wonderfully, thank you. We're all packed and ready to go. Well…" Weiss rolled her eyes affectionately. "Mostly ready to go." Her voice dropped down into a mock, conspiratorial whisper. "You know how she is with mornings."

"Mornings were invented for the sole purpose of oppressing feline faunus. And no, you can't convince me otherwise." Blake's voice filtered in as she handed her girlfriend her coffee. Perching on the arm of the chair, nursing her own cup of coffee, and gave Pyrrha a tired smile. “Morning Pyr. How's little red?"

Pyrrha chuckled while shaking her head. "Good morning, Blake. Ruby's excited to see everyone again, and is setting up the guest bedrooms as we speak." The couple on the other end of the screen shared a look before turning back, but were interrupted before they could speak. "Don't worry, she's been limited to only three decorative items per room."

"That's… quite impressive. Though it does beg the question-"

"What was the compromise." Pyrrha was silent for a moment, before angling the camera down to show the awful festive jumper she had been forced to wear, complete with working lights. Blake squinted her eyes to see properly, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Does that say 'Fleece Navidad'?"

"And are those…real lights?"

Pyrrha sighed and nodded her head. "Yes… to both."

The couple remained silent for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what they were seeing, before they both broke out in laughter, causing the red head to blush in embarrassment. "By the Maidens, that is awful Pyr. We salute your sacrifice."

"Don't feel too smug there, Belladonna. She has some picked out for you two as well. By the way, when do you arrive?"

Blake's face blanched as Weiss checked her watch, an antique that Kali and Ghira had gifted to her the previous year. "We'll be heading out from here in about half an hour, and the jet should have us landing in Patch at around 8:30."

"Oh, perfect timing! Yang and your sister are set to arrive sometime between 6 and 7."

"It'll be good to see them, and the little ones." Weiss's smile grew excited at the prospect of seeing her nieces and nephew again. "It's hard to believe how big they've gotten."

Blake hummed in response, a thousand yard stare overtaking her features. "They're certainly a rambunctious lot, that's for sure."

"PYRRHAAAAAA! I NEED HELP!" Ruby's voice echoed through the house, causing the three friends to share a laugh.

"I'll be right there, darling." Pyrrha called back. "I'll have to let you two go for now. I'll see you later tonight. Have a safe flight."

"We will. See you tonight, Pyrrha."

"See ya soon, big red." The couple waved goodbye as Pyrrha ended the call, closing her laptop as she stood, and taking another deep drink of her hot chocolate.

Stretching her limbs as she stood, a satisfied groan escaped her lips as joints popped and muscles relaxed. Finishing her drink, she placed it in the sink before making her way up the stairs towards the guest bedrooms. “Where are you?”

“In here…” Following the sound of her voice, Pyrrha gently pushed open the door leading to Yang’s and Winter’s room. Inside, she found Ruby sat in the middle of the room, tied up in a pool of christmas lights. “Please don’t laugh…” Pyrrha tried her best to keep a straight face, bringing a hand to her chin as she nodded, before breaking down laughing at the state her fiancée was in, who could only pout. “What happened?”

“Do you remember what you said last year? About how we should store the lights.”

“Yes, my darling. I do.”

“...you were right.” Ruby sighed, lifting her arms up in a defeated manner. Several strands of multi-coloured lights hung off her like the feathers of a spectacularly haggard bird. “Please help me.”

Pyrrha covered her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter. “Of course, my love. But first…” Taking out her scroll, she quickly snapped a picture of the entrapped Ruby. “Your sister would throw a fit if I didn’t send her this.”

Ruby let out an indignant gasp. “I cannot believe this betrayal! On Christmas!”

“Oh hush, you’re making me wear this terrible sweater. I’m allowed a little payback. Now let’s get you free.” Pyrrha set about untangling her fiancée from the mass of wires. It took several minutes of work until the shorter woman was free, but they both held soft smiles as they worked. Once Ruby was free, she got up on her tiptoes, pulling her fiancée down slightly as she planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Thanks, Pyr. Would you like to help me finish decorating the house?”

“I would be delighted.” Ruby let out a happy squeal, shoving the lights that she was recently freed from into Pyrrha’s hands as she raced around the room, explaining and pointing to where the lights needed to go. Pyrrha just followed along, with a happy smile on her face.

#ruby rose #pyrrha nikos #ruby x pyrrha #milk and cookies #rwby #weiss schnee #Blake Belladonna #monochrome #feel good feelings #commission

21 notes · View notes

razieltwelve · 3 years

Text

Grooming (Final Rose)

Fluffy sighed as Patches hopped onto the couch. The younger cat had spent much of the morning outside playing in the snow with the children. Being a sensible cat, Fluffy had opted to spend his time indoors, only venturing onto the porch to curl up on Pyrrha’s lap. The woman’s Aura was more than sufficient to keep both of them warm.

Chomp had shown up pulling the twins in a sled, but the dog knew him well enough to steer the two troublesome children away from trying to drag him off the porch. Still, Fluffy had agreed to a few minutes of mucking about once the kids were calmer. After all, Chomp had come all this way, and it wasn’t like he wanted Fluffy to do anything difficult. He was perfectly content to let Fluffy hitch a ride on his back while he trooped after the kids.

Patches, though, had been much more involved, gleefully running through the snow and leaping from tree to tree to shake more snow out of the branches. Silly cat. Unlike Chomp, he wasn’t built for cold weather. Now, here he was, shivering on the couch.

Fluffy padded over to him and gave him a light but deliberate cuff over the ear. He needed to be more careful. It was easy to lose track of the temperature when he was having fun, but cold could be deadly. Fluffy had seen plenty of alley cats and stray dogs lose their lives during the harsh months of winter.

Patches whined an apology, and Fluffy huffed. It was better than nothing, and it shouldn’t be long before the warmth of the interior of the house had him feeling better. Even so, Fluffy thought it best to check Patches over for any injuries or other trouble. The kids meant well, but they were young. It would be easy for them to miss something.

Patches made a happy sound, and Fluffy scowled. Maybe he was spoiling the younger cat, but someone had to take care of him. He hadn’t grown up on the streets the way Fluffy he had. Maybe in a year or two, he’d have the smarts to take care of himself, but for now Fluffy would just have to do it. The kids would be sad if something happened to Patches. They’d come to like him quite a lot.

X X X

“You know,” Jaune drawled. “Watching Fluffy take care of Patches makes it easy to forget that he can be a total jerk.”

Pyrrha giggled. “He’s always been good with the kids, Jaune, and he dotes on Martin.” Their youngest was still too young to be out and about in the snow, but the baby boy had delighted in the antics of his siblings and their friends. Right now, he was sleeping in Jaune’s arms. “He even lets Martin use him as a teddybear.”

“That’s true,” Jaune said. “I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one he likes to claw.”

“I don’t think so,” Pyrrha said. “He tries to claw Professor Dia whenever she visits. He tries to claw Victoria too. He even tried to claw Blake. Actually, now that I think about it, other than me and the kids he claws basically everybody.”

“He hasn’t tried to claw Fraise in ages.”

“True.” Pyrrha smiled. “And his clawing is more for show than anything these days.”

“You’ve got a point. I can’t remember the last time he really put his back into clawing me. It’s more of a ‘I don’t like you’ clawing rather than a ‘I must tear your heart out of your chest’ clawing.”

“Well, I’m just glad he and Patches get along. It would have been a shame if they didn’t.”

X X X

Fluffy yawned and climbed off the couch. The couch was normally the most comfortable place for him to nap, but the fireplace was going quite merrily. The sounds, smells, and warmth made for a most inviting place. He settled in front of the fireplace and closed his eyes.

Hmm...

Meowing, he called for Patches. This was the first time they’d lit the fireplace this winter. The kitten had no idea what he was missing out on. Patches scrambled over and settled down beside him. Fluffy huffed. He’d put up with it for now, and he had chosen the very best spot to nap. It was only natural that the second-best spot would be right beside him.

X X X

Author’s Notes

Fluffy isn’t the tyrant he likes to think he is. Besides, there’s nothing quite like a nap with the warmth and crackle of a fireplace nearby. You can bet that Chomp likes to nap near his fireplace too with Buddy although Sally is likely to just nap in the fireplace if she can fit.

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here or on Audible here.

#final rose #fanfiction #fluffy #patches #pyrrha nikos #jaune arc

6 notes · View notes

help-i-need-a-cool-username · 4 years

Text

JNPR Week Day 1: Domestic

@jnprberriesweek

I lost my orginial so heres my quick rewrite!

Jaune wakes up, and this morning all his partners are home.

Its 7:21 am and Jaune wakes up to the sunlight slipping through the cracks in the blinds

He tries to roll over and go back to sleep but he can’t. He’s cold and Nora stole all the blankets. He knows its useless to attempt to detangle her, and since no one else is in bed he decides to get up. He thinks there may be someone in the other bedroom’s bed, since Ren was reading and Pyrrha was watching movies last night when he and Nora went to sleep.

They keep a second bedroom for when one of them returns from a mission in the middle of the night, so they don’t wake the others up. Its not very often all four of them are home at the same time, but lately things have been lining up. They’ve only used the extra room for banishing Ren when he got the flu.

Nora makes a noise when he stands up. Jaune is worried he woke her up, but when he turns around he sees her rolling into the warm spot he just vacated.

Jaune heads downstairs. He sees Pyrrha fell asleep on the couch last night. She’s laying down and has a blanket, which means Ren must be awake. Pyrrha typically falls asleep sitting up with the remote still in her hand, so when one of them finds her like this they try to put her body in a laying position. Jaune makes his way over to her, and only trips once on all the junk they have thrown around the house. He pulls her blanket up higher and kisses her forehead.

Jaune heads to the kitchen, and goes to the coffee maker. Ren has clearly already made a cup, because everyone’s (but Ren’s) favorite mug is out and the coffee maker is prepped.

Jaune brings his coffee out on the front stoop and joins Ren on their porch swing. Their dog has his head in Ren’s lap getting an ear rub. His tail thumps on the wood as Jaune sits down.

They sit in silence and watch as the sun passes the treetops. The weather is beautiful, the temperature is perfect, and they managed to catch the window of silence set before the birds wake up. Jaune can’t help but think, life is pretty good right now.

#hinacu rwby #rwby #jnprberriesweek #jnpr berries #poly jnpr #polyam jnpr #jnprberriesweek 2020 #day 1 #and then Ren says ''did Pyrrha talk to you about how she wants kids yet?''#and Jaune chokes on his coffee #good bye silent morning #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #nora valkyrie #lie ren #jnpr

33 notes · View notes

pilot-boi · 3 years

Text

Blooming: Chapter Ten

The Fourth Time

Planting seeds during a lull in the tournament, and a little destiny related introspection

AO3 LINK

Jaune tucked the little paper bag of seeds into his pocket and went to find Pyrrha, because she’d had a meeting with the Headmaster earlier and hopefully it was done now. Even more hopefully it wasn’t anything serious.

Luckily he didn’t have to uproot the whole freaking school to find her, because that would be really pushing his luck with Goodwitch, even with how strangely understanding she was being. He found her under one of the Forever Fall trees that lined the courtyard, reading some thick book.

The kind bound in brown leather with golden letters for a title, and Jaune was pretty sure it was poetry, because Pyrrha was just like that.

Struck dumb for a moment at the sight of her sitting and looking so peaceful, with the leaves falling around her exactly the same shade as her hair, Jaune nearly forget what he was doing. She looked like a painting of a long revered hero, the kind that his mom would hang up from a yard sale and dust every day.

Once he remembered, he didn’t hesitate to disturb her peace and accepted no objections, real or fake, as he tugged her from the ground and dragged her along. It was obvious that Pyrrha was more curious and endeared than she was upset about being denied her reading time. She hadn’t really been focused enough to read anyway.

Jaune also refused to tell her what he was up to this time, aside from the fact that no, Nora was not in trouble. And no neither was he, seriously Pyrrha did you not trust him at all?

She did, but not when it came to not ending up neck-deep in chaos for more than ten seconds.

They took a detour to Professor Peach’s classroom closet, which Jaune knew well enough from having hid in it from Weiss’s wrath once. And Weiss had thankfully waited for him outside because she was a classy lady who had something against walking headfirst into dusty old cobwebs.

Jaune made Pyrrha wait outside as well, even though he knew full well she wouldn’t have the same hang ups. He was going to take any chance to extend this surprise that he could.

He eventually emerged with a gardening shovel and a watering can and refused to give Pyrrha either of them. Or tell her what they were for. Knowing Jaune’s reputation for seat-of-his-pants plans, he really hoped Pyrrha wasn’t guessing the obvious, considering that was exactly the plan.

Filling the watering can was yet another adventure that involved Jaune accidentally getting both of their shoes soaked. Pyrrha repaid him by cutting off his string of apologies with a laugh and a spritz of water in his face.

Watering can momentarily abandoned and then promptly kicked over on accident, Jaune yelped and thoroughly botched his escape.

When Jaune finally flopped down with a refilled watering can on the ground where he wanted to plant, Pyrrha sat next to him. Much more gracefully, he had to admit, but without any hesitation. “Jaune, what-”

“We’re gonna plant some flowers!” Jaune cut in excitedly, tugging the packet of seeds out from his pocket. It was a bit of a hassle honestly, because admittedly, he probably should’ve done that when he was still standing up.

He showed the packet to Pyrrha, who took it from his hand and just stared at it in silence for a while. A smile slowly spread on her lips until she shook her head very, very fondly, and Jaune was positively beaming.

“Oh, Jaune,” Pyrrha laughed, shaking her head a couple more times.

And maybe she sounded a little choked up, she wasn’t sure, but she felt choked up because gods damn it. Gods damn it, this idiot. This absolute wonderful idiot, who was really honestly wasn’t that dumb, because he was truly too smart for his own good.

And so, so kind. And for some stupid reason he insisted on spending all that kindness on Pyrrha of all people. And she just didn’t know how to handle that sometimes, that he really cared about her and not the Invincible Girl. She didn’t know how to show how much he meant to her, how to accept his kindness, how to give any of it back.

So she just dropped her head onto Jaune’s shoulder, nuzzling her forehead against him forcefully, until she felt Jaune stop tensing and his head come to a rest atop hers. And then they just sat there.

Her face was pushed into the cloth of his sweatshirt, and she was smiling and mumbling something that she hoped was an incredibly well thought out thank you. The packet of lily seeds was still clutched tightly in her hands.

In that moment she loved Jaune so much she felt like she forgot how to breath, discipline be damned.

They ended up getting mud on their clothes and even some on their faces and definitely much, much more on their hands. Dirt black crescents were under their nails and Pyrrha’s sweater was splotched with soil.

But it was fine, because it was fun. Pyrrha was terrible at gardening, not having much experience, but Jaune tried his best to draw on every last thing he remembered from his childhood. And lilies were resilient little creatures anyway, so it was fine.

And once they were done, the once pristine flower bed was torn up and muddy but the watering can was empty. And then empty again after an extra round of water, because they planted a lot of seeds.

They stayed sitting there on the ground side by side, the sun warm on their skin and their dirt-covered hands intertwined. This time Jaune was the one to drop his head onto Pyrrha’s shoulder, and from the way he leaned into her, the way his thumb traced back and forth against the back of her hand, she wondered if somehow he knew that she was suddenly feeling a tired, sad kind of dread.

Planting flowers was great until you started wondering if you’d ever see them sprout.

Lilies were resilient creatures, not unlike her, and she knew that. It wasn’t the weather or the quality of the seed that she was worried about. It was time. The time that she might not have much left of, anymore. After her meeting with the Headmaster, and the rest of them, and the Maidens, and the magic, she didn’t know how much time she had left.

Pyrrha could suddenly count on her fingers how many days she had left to live if things didn’t go to plan. Or maybe if they did go to plan, because she still didn’t know if the plan she was working off of matched up with theirs.

Jaune pressed his face into her hair then, saying things he wasn’t sure she heard much less believed. “You’re gonna be fine, kay? I don’t know what’s wrong… really, but I’m here to help. You’re gonna be fine.” A futile promise against her unknowable fate, but a promise he couldn’t help but make over and over, hoping that one day he wouldn't have to.

“And you-”

She tugged her hand out of Jaune’s, but he wrapped the arm around her instead, and he immediately squeezed her closer as he felt her start to cry.

This weird sort of crying that she’d undoubtedly learned at some point in her celebrity life. Her breaths steady and even but the rest of her shaking, with whines that got swallowed in her throat. She made up for her lack of sobs with endlessly flowing tears.

If she let herself cry normally, the mask she wore in public would shatter, and it occurred to Jaune for the hundredth time just how cruel that was.

“I really don’t know what’s wrong, but you can do this,” he reassured her, trying to keep the shake out of his voice because gods dammit he was trying to be the strong reliable one right now, voice don’t you dare betray him. He pressed a kiss to her head and set his chin on top of it. Pyrrha could feel his voice rumbling in his chest.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.” And Pyrrha’s voice did hitch at that “I know you can do this.”

Pyrrha was scared, she was scared to die. But she was more scared to watch others die because she decided to make the wrong decision. She was scared to plunge headlong into this fight that wasn’t supposed to start yet.

She didn’t want to think about her upcoming decision, or the tournament fights that would precede it. And she really didn’t want to think about after either, because who knew who she would even be on the other side, if she made it at all. With her foreseeable life possibly being barely more than a week, she didn’t want to think about anything at all.

But then Jaune’s words made her think about training on the roof. And having to stop Nora from punching him awake in the middle of class after they trained too late. And this made her think of the way his expression then mirrored the affronted look he’d worn during their first bout of the tournament when they’d teased him about the team attack names.

And for a moment, she almost laughed. But then her thoughts drifted forward to the vault, and the conversation there, and she was back to being terrified.

“After,” he started, and even despite all his effort he definitely one hundred percent sounded like he was crying. “After we’ve won the tournament” And because that wasn’t touching close enough to his actual question, he added, “What are you gonna do?”

He wished he was as focused on just winning as he tried to make himself sound. Wished that his entire world wasn’t hanging on what Pyrrha’s answer was.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” Pyrrha admitted, nuzzling her head into his shoulder that was now soaked from her tears, and she wished that she could answer the question that she could hear hiding underneath the one he’d actually said. “Not much, anyway.”

Because she was scared to. Because this was the Destiny she’d been striving for all this time. The only goal she’d ever had, so what came after that?

Her life had been written like a script for her ever since she started training and felt how right her spear felt in her hands. So what would happen when the words on the page ran out? When the blank pages were held out in front of her, what would she write now that she had the power?

Pyrrha barely dared to hope that there would be a page for her to write on at all.

“I have,” Jaune said, and his chest wasn’t hitching anymore, thank the gods. Pyrrha watched as his free hand picked at the muddy grass below them.

She willed the familiar nervous energy the motion held to calm her down. Pyrrha hummed. “Any ideas?” Because she didn’t have any for once. Her book was quite possibly coming to a close, so any ideas he had of what to do to add new pages was welcome.

Jaune’s hand stilled, and he stayed quiet for a few breath’s time. Pyrrha didn’t rush him. “Ask me when we get there.”

And when he pressed another kiss into her hair, Pyrrha wished that she could promise to do that.

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #arkos #glynda goodwitch #professor ozpin #weiss schnee #mine #my writing #blooming #chapter 10

10 notes · View notes

moistmailman · 4 years

Text

*First day snowing at Beacon*

Pyrrha, walking outside: Oh my, I can’t believe how pretty this place looks covered in snow. It’s like a winter wonderlan— Eh?

*Pyrrha notices a red lump in the middle of the courtyard*

Pyrrha: What the? What the heck is that?

*Pyrrha walks towards the red lump to see it’s actually a person completely covered in layers of clothing lying down, arms apart*

Pyrrha: What the heck?

Ruby’s muffled voice: Huh? Is that you, Pyrrha?

Pyrrha, awkwardly: Uh....Yeah, it is....Ruby?

Ruby’s muffled voice: Yep. It’s me under here. Hello, how are you?

Pyrrha: Uhm....I’m Okay, thanks for asking......are you okay though? Aren’t you cold at all?

Ruby’s muffled voice: No, I’m actually quite warm in this. I’m kinda sweating.

Pyrrha, awkwardly looking around: Oh, okay then.....do you mind if I ask you a question?

Ruby’s muffled voice: Is it about me lying on the ground?

Pyrrha, nodding: It’s about you lying on the ground.

Ruby’s muffled voice: I fell earlier and can’t move my arms. So I can’t get up!

*To prove her point, Ruby tries to sit up (while making stubborn “Eh” noises while doing so) to no avail*

Ruby, giving up: I’m wearing too much clothing. It’s hard to even walk.

Pyrrha: Why are you wearing....well, just about everything in your closet then?

Ruby:.......

*FLASHBACK*

Ruby, groaning: Yang! Don’t you think you’re going a little bit overboard?

Yang, wrapping the fifth scarf around Ruby’s face: Are you crazy?! It’s freezing out there! I don’t want my baby sister turn into a popsicle! Now be quiet and let me help you!

Ruby, voice now muffled: But you’re covering my face!

Yang: Duh! Do you know how cold it is for cold wind to blast you in the face?! Very cold, missy! Like, freeze your tears solid kinda cold!

Ruby, muffled: I’m shaped like a marshmallow now though!

Yang: Oh hush! Is it so wrong for me to worry about my baby sister?! Now let me put another pair of mittens on you.

Ruby, muffled: Yaaaaaaang!

Yang, putting on mittens: Hush I say! My baby sister will not grow sick on me from this weather! Okay, now let me look at you.

*Yang steps back to look at Ruby, who was wearing 4 coats, 2 sweaters, 5 scarfs, 3 mittens, 3 winter hats, 3 winter pants, and one pair of boots*

Yang: Okay, perfect! You should be safe now. Just put your arms down for me.

Ruby, muffled: *Practically T posing* I can’t. They’re stuck like this. You Christmas Story’d me.

Yang: Oh.....well, that’s one small price to pay for warmth. Now meet me at class while I get dressed.

Ruby, sighing: Fine. *wobbles away*

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Pyrrha: Oh, I see.....well, at least your sister worries about you though. Heh....

Ruby’s muffled voice: Yeah, I guess.

Pyrrha:........do you need help getting out of some of these clothes?

Ruby’s muffled voice: I honestly think you might need to cut me out for me to be free.

Pyrrha, calling in her locker to get Milo: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Just hold on.

#rwby #pyrrha nikos #ruby rose #yang xiao long #pyrruby

170 notes · View notes

tigereyes45 · 4 years

Note

RWBY-Whiterose, ruby rescues Weiss from her father's mansion

(Sorry it took a bit to do but I hope you enjoy it! Ao3 link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216039 WARNING: More physical violence from Jacques)

There will be an escape

Weiss knew she could expect many things. Her inheritance, taking control of her grandfather's company, Winter coming home to celebrate her graduation from Beacon academy, becoming a top-notch huntress second only to Pyrrha, the one who would take her father down. She would mentally go through them in times of stress. A quick deterrent to keep herself in place. A little comfort that there would be more even at their lowest points. What she knew was shackles that held her down and in one place. They were keys to doors she had no other way of opening.

They were lies. Beacon was gone. Ironwood couldn't save her like he had saved Winter. Pyrrha was dead, there would be no graduation, and her father had no plans of just letting her step up and take charge. He would not allow her to become a huntress. She couldn't inherit the company. Leaving the mansion was out of the question. Her face still rings hotly from where his hand had landed. There was only one certainty anymore. Her escape.

She had a plan of course. Weiss Schnee always has a plan. In fact there were three. Each would become increasingly more difficult if the first was thwarted by her father. All were chancy. So she decides to go with the first one that presented itself with an opportunity to be used.

It was a waiting game. Months passed before there was a chance she could leap at. With a smile, Weiss was ready to fly the coop. Freedom lures her away with promises. Endless potential, a chance out from her father's grasp, a way to make her own path in the world just like Winter had, perhaps even a peaceful death at the end of a long life. With every possibility, her feet carried her another step towards the open kitchen window. Weiss doesn't question who opened it. What point was there in pondering whoever else was foolish enough to disobey her father. If this worked they would lose their job, but Weiss could finally escape. In her delirium, only the chance mattered. Who cared if she had no clothes, no money, no way out of the city yet. Answers could be found. She was Weiss Schnee. The Weiss Schnee. If anyone could find a way to make it out of a damaged iron cage, slowly collapsing in on itself, it was her.

One of her heels almost slips on a mop left besides the largest oven. Her arms slams against the counter. Throwing all her weight onto the other foot it takes seconds for her to find balance again. Stumbling in the next few steps, Weiss could now taste freedom. It was fresh air, Ren's pancakes, blood from a fight, victory, chocolate chip cookies, rose tea, Ruby's lips. Her knees scrape against the counter. Soft skin scratches old training cuts open. All those months hunting, and her flesh could still tear so easily. It was frustrating, but now wasn't the time to be angry. Steady hands hold the sill tightly. Nails trimmed so perfectly dig into it's sanded wood. Her head slips through. As her nose catches it's first scent of the outside world in three months pressure builds up on the end of her ponytail.

The young woman was given no time to react. Violently Weiss is dragged back through the window. A brief moment of bliss stolen. Hands flying back weren't fast enough to stop her fall. Her body slams against the marble flooring. With hatred in his eyes Jacques glares down at her. His nostrils flare, as those light blue eyes narrow down at her. He stands imposingly above Weiss as if she was a child again. Just like that a chance was snatched away.

Jacques is quick to yell. Even quicker to bend over her, closing that space he had thrown between them. As his hands shake and move Weiss doesn't move. She doesn't flinch. Her eyes don't watch those hands shaking hands. Not one minute was wasted on thinking about all the lines he had already crossed. Nor would one second ever be spent on them ever again. As his voice rises she starts to hear him less. Every word became less and less important. If it was her body breaking down, or just finally able to tune him out she honestly couldn't tell. It didn't matter anyways. The window was still there. Hauntingly it hangs open, the wind whistling. It calls like a lifelong friend. Every snowflake drifting in more comforting than all the soft moments her father had ever shown in her entire life.

"Get away from me!" Instinct takes over. One moment she's pinned between the floor and her father. The next her hands were in his coat. Red painted nails dig into the soft cloth. His body doesn't budge. Tension builds up under her hands like a geyser about to blow. Moving stiffly, Jacques goes rigid as he watches her struggle to push him away. All that training. All those moments. None of them mattered. He wouldn't stop her. No one could ever stop her again.

A glyph starts to form on his chest between her hands. It glows dimly at first. Barely there and then gone again. Blinking like an eye, in and out of existence several times. Weiss tries to focus on it without looking. She faces her father down. Eye to eye, brute strength against a true brute.

Somehow the old man doesn't notice what's happening. Just like always it was the stuff right under his nose that went unnoticed. When Winter was planning to abandon him she couldn't have been more obvious. Even if she had written a simple note saying 'fuck off I'm leaving' he wouldn't have known. Mother's slow descent to alcoholism. Though she had a deep suspicion that even if he had noticed he wouldn't have stopped it. Whitley's unhealthy obsession with being just like this cruel asshole. Maybe if he was just a little more observant he could actually get more done. If he did there was no way this would work then. So his clueless-ness wasn't all bad. Years of negligence all coming back to bite him in the ass.

"I am your father! Cease this at once!"

Ah the orders. They always followed his temper like good little men dressed up to play their part. Unlike before those words hold no power over her. This imbalance was done!

Loosening her grip Weiss pushes her hands flat against his chest now. Jacques smirks as if that meant he won. Had he always been this quick to accept victory? Possibly. She couldn't recall. With one last grunt it was done. The glyph shines as brightly as the sun had in Vale. Shock, replaces his anger. As she removes her hands those light blue eyes show relief. His body goes flying back against the fridge. The sterile silver metal dents from the impact. With a sense of smug satisfaction Weiss risks taking just a second to look over him.

She doesn't smile. This was a victory but he was still her father. Horrible as he was, she hadn't wanted it to go this far. When did it all go wrong? Could things have been better if just one or two parts of their life was changed? The questions plague her mind even as she climbs back onto the counter.

"I don't think so."

Whirling her head back, Weiss glares Jacques down. "I'm leaving."

"No. You're not." He smirks as his hand slowly rises up. It looks painful. Was every inch causing him agony? Had she gone too far? Hesitating Weiss watches as her father reaches into his coat. There's a soft, smothered click. Alarms blare throughout the house. It stings her ears worse then a pack of beowulf howls.

Weiss turns to climb out the window. Now it was just as much to escape from the sound as it had been to free herself. Before she could even put a hand out metal bars shoot down from outside the window. Heartbroken Weiss holds back her cries. Head hanging low, she couldn't stop her bottom lip from quivering let alone convince her body to stop shaking. The moment to fly free was gone. Once again she was frozen in place. Those shackles of broken promises and opportunities lost begin to climb up her body again. Crawling like inch worms over her skin they wrap around every limb. Her forehead falls against the metal bars. The freezing steel rests comfortably against her skin. It was warm compared to her heart.

"Need a hand?"

That sweet voice felt like it was from another life. It sends warmth flooding through her body. With a force Weiss wasn't used to hope grows within her once more. There, right on the other side of the bars was Ruby. Briefly Weiss wonders if she was a hallucination. Desperately her hands reach out through the bars. They brush against Ruby's cheeks.

With an innocent smile Ruby tilts her head. Resting her fingers over Weiss' hands she holds them there, against the warmth of her cheeks. She has to keep herself from laughing. Trully being in Atlas so long must've frozen her to the core. Ruby felt warm despite her cheeks being flushed a deep, crimson from the cold weather.

"I'm sorry it took so long Weiss."

"You idiot." She laughs, breaking her cruel words up. For a moment Ruby frowns. She lets go of Weiss' hands and reaches through the bars herself.

"I should've been faster. I'm so sorry Weiss."

Weiss viciously shakes her head no. "This isn't on you Ruby. None of this is your fault. Not Beacon, not Pyhrra, not this."

Water builds up in Ruby's eyes. She leans against the metal bars. Her forehead nearly meeting Weiss through them. "I love you Weiss."

Before she could respond Ruby was gone. In a gust of rose petals she flies through the bars. All around her the soft petals gently rub against her skin. They graze her cheeks, and brush against her hair. It really truly was her love. Weiss scoots herself off the counter. As she lands on her high heels Ruby reforms right before her. Almost nose against nose Ruby grabs her hands.

"I brought help."

"It would've been foolish for you to come alone."

"Yeah well, I wanted to once I heard about what happened."

Weiss glances away, averting her gaze. "You'll have to be more specific about what you heard."

The younger girl glares back at Jacques who was seething with anger as he watches the two. Weiss must've hurt her father a lot. Otherwise he would already be standing up again. No matter what he thought he had no chance against Ruby.

Ruby lets out a long high whistle. She wraps her arms against Weiss' waist. There's a loud shout, and then the sound of metal against metal. Twisting around as much as she could against Ruby's hold Weiss catches a glimpse of green. The yelling only grows into a uproarious battle cry. When she looks back at Ruby, she was smiling.

"I wasn't the only one who missed you." With that Ruby lifts Weiss up. Her semblance activates flying them around the kitchen once before they shoot through the now unbarred window. Weiss moves to hold on to Ruby tighter, but her fingers only grasp as hundreds of petals. Fresh air and hits her all at once, almost as powerful as Ruby's arms had been around her. It felt like a dream as they flew away. Far from the prison that used to be her home.

#rwby #whiterose #weiss schnee #ruby rose #fanfic #fanfiction #ff #ao3 #weiss #ruby

8 notes · View notes

razorblade180 · 4 years

Text

Twin Snowflakes pt8: It’s Tricky

Back at home, Weiss snuggles up under Jaune as he flips through tv channels. His left arm wraps around her waist to hold her closer; causing her to giggle. This is always the highlights of her days off. Good breakfast, pj’s, and alone time with Jaune that usually leads cuddling. After more explicit activities of course.

Weiss:Jaune as much as I love you, please find a channel soon? I’m falling asleep.

Jaune:That tends to happen post three rounds of sex.

Weiss:Please, you’re the only person who gets tired after three. This is just boring watching... *rubs eyes* channels flip.

Jaune:Keep telling yourself that. I’ll just put it on the news. Might as well see what’s going on in the world.

“And now Lisa Lavender with a special weather report.”

Lisa:People of Remnant, scientists around the world are still scratching their heads over the surge of different climate changes ever since appearance of the Two Brothers. Multiple areas of temperatures spiking all time numbers in their respective climate are still flowing in. While there still seems to be no life threatening injuries being caused by it, there is strong advisement from researchers and kingdom leaders. For those of you in hotter area’s it’s advised not to stray from any water source. Those in Atlas, be sure to buddle up as an extra cold winter is here.

Weiss:*frowns* Maybe Summer being outside was a mistake.

Jaune:She’s fine. Summer knows her limit better than anyone besides Penny. I bet she’s held up at some coffee shop right or theater. Not to mention her clothes.

Weiss:Still I can’t help but worry. *grabs scroll*

Jaune:Calling her?

Weiss:No, texting Winter if she could see how she’s doing. Lately I have this feeling that Summer isn’t telling me everything. She used to be so vocal and now she’s....

Jaune:A teenager?

Weiss:More than that! *nudges him* I don’t know how to explain it. Summer seems....tired.

He looked down to see a puzzled look on his wife’s face as she read Winter’s reply. Deep down he knew what Weiss meant by Summer being tired. He was like that for a long time after losing Pyrrha. Weiss was too for parts of her life; especially after giving birth. It was hard not to notice their daughter getting lost in deep thought. Thoughts nobody seemed to truly know; not even Oscar was a hundred percent certain. Jaune tilted Weiss’s head up and pressed his forehead against hers. The contact eased both of their troubled minds. Silently letting each other know things will be alright.

Jaune:You know what we should all do? Have a giant vacation.

Weiss:What? The kids just went back to school.

Jaune:I’m not talking about right now. After the tournament and everything happens. We can get Whitley, Ruby, Blake, Yang, everyone one we can to just go on a trip somewhere warm. It would be a nice victory lap for our kids.

Weiss:Victory lap? Don’t you think you’re celebrating their victory too soon hehe.

Jaune:You don’t believe our kids will kick butt?

Weiss:Oh I know they’ll kick butt. What’s that saying you taught me? Don’t count my chickens before they hatch?

Jaune:*smiles* Not sure if you noticed but your chicks have been spreading their wings for awhile.

Weiss:I hope you know chickens don’t fly.

Jaune:You get what I’m saying though. They’re coming into their own. I think that deserves a proper vacation. Blake, Yang, and their kid Veronica no doubt will be for it.

Weiss:I guess we’ll find out when they show up for the tournament. In the meantime I’ll toss the idea around to everyone else. After I enjoy my little vacation I have to day.

Jaune:And what left do you have to do today my queen?

Her arms hook around his neck and pulls him into a kiss. Jaune can’t help but smile as her fingers start combing through his hair. Weiss leans her body back in an attempt to be as close to him as possible. Finally they break the kiss and stared at each other with the same fire they had when they first kissed.

Weiss:For starters, two more rounds with you.

xxxx

Today was a slow day. Well it was for Summer anyways. School might’ve been a prison but at least it was interesting prison with things that made time go by. Those thoughts unfortunately weren’t going through her head earlier in the morning and now she finds herself walking down the pearly white streets of the kingdom. It was a bit lonely. Not to mention cold.. luckily the white winter coat, red scarf, and white ear muffs was doing what they could to keep heat close. What was really doing the jobs was the black thermals underneath; mad by top Atlas finest for military personnel and herself. A snug white shirt hugged her underneath the coat while black thermal leggings went down into her boots. The seam stitching on the side of it glowing ever so slightly with fire dust. The cold was not going to bother her.

Street’s were relatively quiet but that’s a no brainer. Kids are at school and adults are working. It was beautiful in a ghostly kinda way. The silence was a bit too much for her unfortunately. Despite her reserved nature, she did enjoy people. Talking to them was just weird most of the time. Finding the write thing to say was harder than any test, yet Nick always made it look easy. Family members and friends were easy but anybody else made her feel like she was being judged; kinda ironic considering her status. There were two people though she could always manage to speak too. If she could really call arguing speaking. Her options weren’t looking good and boredom was sinking in.

Summer:Might as well sneak in a bit of training.

She raised her left hand to pull down her scarf a bit while her right hand took of the ear muffs. The crisp air immediately hit them and gave her a chill. The color of her eyes barely getting lighter around the iris as she exhaled to see her breath appear in front of her when she walked. Anyone close enough would’ve saw the tiniest of snowflakes.

I knew you were bored but not this bored. Or maybe you actually wanna give up already?

Summer:In your dreams Shiva. I thought I’d train is all. Hearing you in my head is a sad sacrifice for that.

Keep telling yourself that..... you’re committed at least. That’s about the only thing I’ll give you props for. I guess following ideals and plans is easy when you don’t ever come up with your own. Better hope brother dearest has a good one for the tournament.

Summer:So you’re moving on to insulting my mind now? Finally tired of calling me weak?

Unlike you, I’m interesting and like to mix things up. You just do the same thing as always. Try and fail. Like that little team attack your are always attempting with Nick. I bet I’d get it right on the first try. How’s it feel to always be protected?

Summer:...

Aw I thought you wanted a talk buddy? Tired already? I bet you’re tired of a lot of things huh? Stress, disappointing everyone, yourself; especially yourself. I mean just look in the mirror.

She didn’t know why she listened but she did. Summer stopped on the sidewalk and looked at her reflection through a building window right next to her. It was impossible not to frown at the sight. The world feels like it slips away as she cloeses her eyes. Darkness surrounds her until an image of Shiva slowly becomes more visible and the room in her head takes its usual form of cold emptiness.

Shiva:Besides this cute face can you think you’re worth anything? Weiss sings better than you, your brother is stronger than you, all your friends get by just fine, and it’s not like you’re making a difference. All I’m really saying is why keep being like that when I can make them look at this body as it rises above all of their worth. No one would look down on me. You’re too afraid to even change out in P.E.

Summer:*inhales*...........*exhales* I am greater than I think. I am greater than what anyone thinks. My mind is my mine; my body is mine. You will never take it from me. Nor will anyone else.

Shiva:Just keep letting your consular feed your head with lies.

Summer:The only one who does that is you.

The room and Shiva quickly fade away the moment Summer reopens her eyes. Once again she looks at herself. Still have no joy at the sight of it. At least it’s her reflection though. That’s what matters at the end of the day. It’s all that ever mattered to her. The conversation with her not so pleasant company continued but at this point even Shiva was running low on insults. A small victory for a moment. Finally Summer reached her destination; the edge of Atlas. Her head tilted down as she followed the giant chain all the way down to Mantle with her eyes. Somehow it always seemed to get longer to her for some reason. The cold formed around her hands in the form of swirling ice until it came together and expanded into a snowboard. Summer hopped right on it with ease as the ice stuck to the soles of her boots.

Again with this crazy stunt? I was right about you not thinking wasn’t I?

Summer:*clenches fist* You’re talking a lot of shit for someone who’s gonna die if I screw this up. Maybe try encouragement for the first time in your life?

Please, the adrenaline and the panic of you falling to your death will be more than enough for me to take the reigns. If anything I’m hoping you fall immediately. Wouldn’t be the first time I saved your life. You have the nastiest habit of needing help.

Summer:We’ll just see about-

“Summer Nichole Schnee!”

That voice. That anger; Summer recognizesd those all too well. She looked to her right to see her fears confirmed. In the distance and getting closer at alarming speed was her dear aunt Winter who obviously looked like she was about to prepare to give the longest lecture possible. Whenever she gets close enough.

Summer:Aunt Winter!? What are you doing h- ugh, mom....

First she makes you go outside and then she has someone keep watch on you. Talk about no freedom. If I were you I-

Summer:*puts on ear muffs* (I’m not in the mood for one lecture, let alone two.) Hello! Fancy meeting you here.

Winter:What in the devil do you think you’re doing!?

Summer:N...Nothing!? I-

Winter:Stay right there! I need to have a talk.

Summer:Sigh, so much for.....

Her sentence got caught in her throat as she thought about it. Shiva was annoying but she had a point. Summer didn’t wanna be outside in the first place, but now she was for better or for worse because she was told to by her mother. Then this happens!? Summer looked at the chain one more time before taking the ear muffs of again; replacing them with headphones. The feeling of loneliness she had before was starting to be messed. At least back then no one was telling her what to do; trying to keep her within arms reach for better or for worse.

Oh so you can think for-

Summer:GET OFF MY BACK AND LET ME DO MY OWN THING ALREADY!!!

Winter:What did you just say to me!?

Summer:What? No no I was talking to-...screw it. I’m in trouble regardless. *jumps*

Winter:Gasp! Summer!!!

She races towards the edge to see her niece free falling with her arms spread out. Summer bends her upper body forward to make her do a midair front flip before twisting to the side and landing on the massive chain with incredible speed; making sure to do small hops over the links as rides down in an “s” formation. The wind shear is brutal and her focus remains unwavering. Unnervingly so, but necessary. Every moment on the chain grinds away at the board causes friction and that’s not the best for anything made with ice, but that was point of the training.

Summer:(That’s it Summer, you got this. Control your speed, balance, awareness and fear. Definitely control your fear. Watch how thin the board gets and right before it shatters...)

She angles her board straight to avoid a short hop; choosing to jump the length of one full link. Summer caste a glyph underneath it for more air by giving her a second jump. Her feet swing to the left to meet her left hand with the board. She couldn’t help but feel a bit bold and did a 360 just to satisfy herself. All while her hand was restoring the ice. The speed and temperature outside gradually increases just how much she was in control but it dangerous to screw up. Too slow and a number of mistakes could happen.Going too fast was the real caution warning. That board wouldn’t fair too well crashing into a chain link and definitely hurt. Worse yet, getting colder than she can tolerate before reluctantly handing over the reigns.

You’re going to falll...

Summer:*turning up music*......

Try to drown me out all you like, but at the end of the day I’m still here. I’m always here. Waiting for tiniest....littlest......most insignificant mistake. You always make you; it’s in your nature. Imperfection trying to be perfect.

Shiva’s voice was getting louder. Like a distorted whisper in her ear from a broken radio. Summer wiped the tears forming from her eyes and kept going. Her lungs were starting to feel like fire; the center of her chest feeling gripping tightly and making her movements sloppy. The next link she jumped over clipping the bottom of the board and caused an auditable yelp from the girl. The wind blowing behind her felt like fingers wrapping around her throat. She was getting too cold; Summer didn’t need a mirror to know how she looked right now. She wasn’t out of options yet though. Summer turned her body sideways and started to grind on the outermost part of the chains. It wasn’t gonna do the durability of the ice board any favors but she needed to slow down. Her new clothes was the next step. Summer made a small glyph on her pointer finger and dragged it along the fire dust stitching so the heat washed over her body more intensely for a moment. Her plan didn’t stop the cold completely but it was enough to get her out of danger.

Oooo that was a close one.

Summer:*trembling* (My mind is mine and my body is mine. My mind is mine and my body is mine. My mind is mine and my body is mine. My mind-)

Isn’t focusing on the chain...

At that moment the board had shattered right where one chain meets another. Summer didn’t even have time to scream before falling into the space between them and gets swallowed up by the clouds. What could’ve only been seconds felt like an eternity when she came through the other side greeted with the intense sight of Mantle’s lights. Snow gave way to the heated air and turned into ran that poured down as fast as she was falling. Summer couldn’t help but be terrified. Shiva wasn’t even speaking anymore and yet Summer couldn’t help but chastise herself at the entire situation. Lost focus, lost control, and about to lose her life.

Summer:(Maybe Shiva was right? I am an idiot) *closes eyes*

Shiva:*sitting* Of course I’m right. You make it too easy hehehe. Now.... *extends hand* about time I claimed my reward. Don’t worry though. I’ll make sure we never look wrong again.

Summer:.....no.

Shiva:N...no? I’m sorry, did I just hear you say no? You do know a few minutes at best you’ll- *eyes widened*

Dread came over her face as Summer smiled weakly at her. Shiva’s features slowly turned into a scowl; all appearance of having fun was replaced with pupils shaking with rage. Shiva quickly jumped at her but was blocked by a glyph. Her blood was starting to boil as she dragged her ice tipped nails down it. Nothing was going to keep her from the prize she has so diligently been waiting for. Summer felt like at rat starring at a python in a glass cage. The way their eyes met; the complete lack of hope she felt as Shiva keeps her eyes dead set on her. It was enough to scream if she could find the courage to even breathe.

Shiva:If you think I’m just gonna let your body hit the ground then you’ve got anything coming. I don’t do draws. I win and you lose. Then you keep losing, and losing, and losing; day after day as I live the life you could only dream of.

Summer:Any life you live is a nightmare I never want to have. If I can’t beat you then I’ll stop this stupid game of property dispute once and for all. Whatever it takes to keep my family safe from the likes of you!

Shiva:.....Hehehe hahahahaha HAHAHAHAHA!!

Summer:Why....why are you laughing? You’re not supposed to be laughing. You’re about to lose. You’re losing!

Shiva:You...haha you think....you think I’m the one hurting your family! Oh that is hilarious!!

Both of her hands raise up and press against the glyph. Shiva extends her arms forward before bending them quickly and head butting it. Creating a giant crack before it crumbles away right before Summer’s eyes. The scared girl can’t believe it. Even her last stitch effort has been destroyed. Summer turns halfway around to run before ice traps her legs and crawls up her body to her collarbone. Muscle and bones fail to giver the strength to free her while Shiva skips towards her. The fight was over before it truly began. Summer felt a hand grab her jaw and turn and forced her to look at Shiva once more; the playful demeanor Summer hated so much was back on Shiva’s smug face. It was enough to make her cry. The warmth of fresh tears should’ve washed over her face but got dismissed unexpectedly by her captor.

Shiva:Crying makes you look ugly. Your looks are all you have remember? Even if they’re basically a copy of dear old mommy.

Shiva:*grits teeth* What, now you’re just gonna play with me!? Get it over with alre- ah!

Shiva:*tightens grip* You’ve gotten too casual with me. Nobody orders me around. Especially a shrimp like you. Since you’re too dumb to notice, trying to take over right now would be stupid beyond belief and almost impossible. You’re not falling anymore; someone caught you. Oh well. Next time....

Summer:What are you talking ab-

Shiva snaps her fingers and everything starts to fade away including her and the ice. Summer starts to feel a strange sensation around her ribs before the blank space around her once again becomes a bird’s eye view of Mantle. Long white talons find themselves around the girl’s midsection and the face of a giant white nevermore looking at his lucky catch.

Nevermore:......

Summer:.....I’m guessing Winter is on your back huh?

He flings her forward and swoops underneath so she can land on his back. Yeah, suspicions confirmed.

Winter:I’ll give you fifteen seconds to explain yourself.

Summer:You can just yell at me.

Winter:I highly suggest you take the remaining twelve seconds. *raising right hand*

Summer:I wanted to against the cold while using diamond dust! I thought snowboarding down the chains would be perfect since I’m really good at it and you taught me so much about multitas-

Winter:Times up.

Summer:*flinches* Not my face! I’m so sorr-

Winter’s hand grabbed the girl and pulled her into a tight hug. Wind roaring the air and the sound of the summoned nevermore wings flapping was the only thing to break the silence. A minute passed before Winter’s finally spoke. Her voice slightly shaky and relieved.

Winter:I didn’t...I didn’t see the board when I first saw you. All I saw was you standing near the edge. Then you jumped....*sniffling* Do you realize how much of a heart attack you just gave me? Your mom said you were acting strange so I thought....I thought...

Summer:Auntie I would never! Honestly. Not in a million years. It was just training gone bad. Really bad. I’m sorry. *patting her back*

Winter:Thank the gods I was fast enough to save you!

Summer:......

That was right. She was saved again wasn’t she? Just like always. Summer’s arms finally hugged Winter back. Her thoughts and feelings swarming at the results of her so called challenged.

Summer:Yeah, thank goodness....

xxxx

“Funny, I’d forgotten about that day till now. The way Winter held me; cried for me. And what did I do to ease such concern? Same thing I always did to her. What I did to everyone. To myself. Damnit. I....I really was the monster here wasn’t I? Should’ve told the truth. Why in the gods didn’t I tell the damn truth? Guess I really am an idiot huh? Maybe if I wasn’t then things would’ve be different. I would’ve different. I...would still have them, but I don’t. I don’t have anything anymore; just the cold.”

Part 7

#jaune arc #weiss schnee #rwby whiteknight #winter schnee #summer schnee #rwby #rwby twin snowflakes

44 notes · View notes

vecnawrites · 3 years

Note

Jaune and Pyr wake up early in the morning so that they can start the day with their favorite drink~ Their precious sleeping beauty still asleep even now, good thing they know how to wake her up and have a tasty morning treat.

Loved Writing This One! Kinks: Triad Relationship, Lactation, Sleeping Orgasm, Body Worship, Pyrrha Is Thirsty, No You Can’t Say She Isn’t

“Mmm~” Jaune Arc slowly woke up, surrounded by warmth and comfort, so much so that he nearly drifted directly back to sleep. Warmth surrounded him on both sides, and he knew on one side was May, his first and oldest friend, and on the other, Pyrrha. Really, he could tell due to the snores. He loved the girl, he honestly did, but her snores outdid the snarls of a bellowing angry Ursa. But that was part about what he loved about her. She wanted more than anything to be seen as a normal person, and believe him, it was hard to see her as some unparalleled figure when she snored so...and drooled onto his chest, a large wet patch on his shirt under her cheek.

...and an equally large wet patch was on his other side, making his eyebrows raise, since May was as quiet as a mouse when she slept, barely making noise at all unless she was...stimulated...which admittedly, happened more often than not with the three of them sharing a bed. And she wasn’t one to drool, either. So what was it?

Tilting his head, a small smile and chuckle escaped him. Of course it was. Poor May had leaked in her sleep again, dark spots forming on her pajama top where her milk bled through. She hadn’t been able to milk the past few days and had a great deal of build up...fortunately, it was the weekend and May adored sleeping in, meaning that Pyrrha would wake first.

Which mean that they could help their dear girlfriend...and also be treated to their favorite morning beverage. He licked his lips, feeling his cock twitch in his boxers. Besides the taste, he and Pyrrha both loved their little Sniper’s reactions, the small squeaks of pleasure as she squirmed and trembled beneath them.

He sighed as his cock popped out of his boxers from his fantasy and arousal. That would have to be handled...eventually. For now, he needed to be patient, at least until Pyrrha woke up. Then something could be done...after they helped May...and themselves.

~x~x~x~x~

Pyrrha Nikos woke slowly. Despite her discipline, she hated waking up early, but it was ingrained into her now. From training at dawn from a young age, her body refused to let her sleep any later than daybreak. She heartily despised it.

But it wasn’t without its benefits, she would admit. She no longer woke alone, and that would give her the time to do the most wonderful things to-with! She meant WITH!-her boyfriend and girlfriend. Shifting her head, she whined as she felt her cheek slick with drool. She had never been able to break that habit, nor the one of cuddling with the nearest warm body. Meaning, Jaune or May, or both, if she was lucky enough to snag the middle spot, were her personal teddy ursa!

Today, she knew that Jaune had been her teddy, and she was thankful he never minded her snoring or drooling, something that she always found embarrassing, but he had simply accepted as another part of who she was. Reaching up, her hand cupped against something burning hot and hard as the shaft of Milo, her spear. A lazy smile formed on her face as she already knew what that was. Perhaps she could start the day off right~? A gentle pump got a groan, one too loud to be from a sleeping person. Drat. So, Jaune woke before her, did he? It was rare, but it did happen. Opening her eyes a crack, she stared up into the deep blues that she had fallen in love with. “...morning…” she mumbled. No matter how much she trained, let it be known, Pyrrha Nikos was not a morning person!

“Good morning, Pyrrha…” she heard his soft tone fill her with warmth. “Sleep well?” Pyrrha hummed and shifted, wincing as her saliva had started cooling and was getting cold and thick. “Could have been longer...I was having a nice dream~” she grabbed the blanket and wiped her cheek as she looked down at the large dark spot, giving her boyfriend an apologetic look.

He only chuckled and kissed her lips lightly. “I could tell; you’ve been grinding against my leg for a while now, and you’re still doing it~” Pyrrha blushed, forcing her slowly moving hips to stop, although she whined at the loss of pleasure.

Jaune smiled at her and kissed her again, with Pyrrha eagerly accepting the loving advance, trying to worm her tongue into his mouth, whining and trying to follow as Jaune pulled back. She was soothed as he pecked her on the nose. “Now, now, Pyrrha...later...we have to help May.” seeing him lick his lips made Pyrrha’s heart jump and her stomach growl, and she licked her own lips.

Right...she could start the day with the sweetest, most natural, tastiest beverage on Remnant...her girlfriend’s milk! Peeking over Jaune’s chest, her jaw dropped and she began drooling a bit as she saw dark spots on May’s shirt, the swell of her fat nipples pressing against the thin shirt that they had managed to trick-convince!-their precious Desert Flower to wear.

“Poor May’s gotten backed up...it’d be...cruel to let her continue on like this, wouldn’t it?” Pyrrha nodded so fast Jaune and May were both blurs in her vision. Cruel? It would be inhumane punishment if they left their beloved, delicate Desert Flower to suffer overfilled and constantly leaking breasts! She didn’t deserve that! They would drain that milk...they didn’t have any pumps or containers though, so it would have to be by mouth and into their bellies, but that...that was what good teammates, good boyfriends and girlfriends did! The sacrifice they were making to ensure their teammate’s comfort should be commended!

“Yesh, shwe-” she blushed fiercely, swallowing the saliva that had pooled heavily in her mouth, shying away from her boyfriend’s knowing smile. “Yes...yes, we should help her! We can’t let her suffer for long!”

~x~x~x~x~

It didn’t take long for the boyfriend and girlfriend to settle on either side of the sleeping busty beauty, gently shifting the sleeping sniper onto her back, her massive chest rising and falling, straining and stretching the ill fitting top she wore, buttons looking ready to pop off at any given moment.

Jaune and Pyrrha shared a smile over the “Milky Mountains”, a name they had saddled May’s breasts (and subsequently mortified the poor busty sniper) with and carefully reached up, working together to unbutton her top, both chuckling as the buttons finally gave in halfway through, flying through the air and landing on the bed with muted sounds, her fat breasts settling, fat puffy inverted nipples swollen and beading with milk, the delicate skin shining under the muted morning light.

Carefully, they each hooked a thumb into her shorts that she wore for bottoms, and eased them, and her panties down, revealing her nearly bare slit, a small, fluffy tuft of maroon pubis, trimmed expertly into the shape of the Arc Crescents (and boy, May had shrieked in embarrassment when that was noticed...although Pyrrha immediately had May do it to her, as well) clinging to her mons. Both rubbed their fingers through it, the incredibly soft hair tickling their fingertips as they teased May’s body, watching her cheeks darken a bit as she murmured softly in her sleep. Jaune and Pyrrha shared a smile with one another, before their fingers slid down, down, down...rubbing over her petal soft lips, their fingertips each brushing gently over the sensitive skin.

Sharing a smirk, both opened their mouths and descended, capturing a fat nipple in their mouths, sucking and licking the plump, leaking bud gently. Both moaned as intense, almost cloying sweetness squirted into their mouths, dancing along their tongues, making Pyrrha moan needily, wrapping her leg around May’s and beginning to grind against her thigh.

Likewise, Jaune’s penis had popped out of his boxers and was prodding insistently at the sleeping girl’s hip, but he weathered on, instead sucking gently at the teat in his mouth, throat bobbing as he swallowed mouthfuls of the sweet, nourishing liquid. His cock throbbed, oozing fat, thick drops of precum onto May’s lightly tanned flesh, his tip smearing it into her skin.

They both hear May whimper and moan in her sleep as they suckled her, their fingers rubbing her rapidly moistening core, both humming their contentedness as they drank their fill and worked to empty out their Desert Flower’s swollen, and no doubt aching, breasts.

May’s breath hitched and her moaning increased, her sleeping body shifting, wiggling, turning as she tried to get away from their touches, but their bodies and their own insistent actions keeping her from getting away.

“Mmm~Feels...Oooooo~” May hummed and whimpered in her sleep, her hips bucking upwards into their playfully moving fingers, the pads spreading her quickly leaking slick around, making her mound shiny from her arousal.

Both stayed away from her clit and opening at the moment, content to simply rub her outer lips, sucking and licking, twirling their tongues around the fat, squirting nubs in their mouths, the tips of their tongues slipping into the small slits, toying with the hidden bumps of her nipples.

“eeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP~!” both lovers felt their Desert Flower jerk underneath them, her chest heaving, the milk filled mountains practically smacking them in the face repeatedly as they suckled on her, the action only forcing more of the delectable milk in their mouths.

Glancing up, they saw wide, misty blue eye staring down at them, cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment, the lower lip of that beautiful face being pinched underneath the clean white glint of her upper teeth.

It was plainly obvious the beautiful, ravished girl was trying to say something, but all that escaped her mouth were squeaks of varying intensity. But neither Jaune or Pyrrha were worried about words, as May’s body was far more honest. Her back was arching on it’s own, pressing her breasts more against their faces, and her thighs fell open more, their noses being invaded with May’s natural, sweet perfume, only raising their own libido’s higher.

~x~x~x~x~

May Zedong was mortified. She hated how her breasts naturally lactated with ease, making so much milk that they had to be milked like a cow. She hated them so much so that she had avoided doing so the past few days...but boy, was she paying for it now. She had gone to bed with an intense, dull ache throbbing away in her teats, and just knew that the next morning would be painful. She hadn’t, thankfully.

...but somehow, this was worse!

Pleasure, intense, stirring, hot like an iron filled her body, making her shake and tremble, her pussy practically a drooling waterfall of her liquid lust. She could feel slim fingers sliding over her slippery valley, and hot, wet suction over the obscenely sensitive fat nubs that she was unfortunate enough to call nipples.

Shame warred with pleasure and outright relief as her milk was drawn out of aching tits and fingers played with her soaking core, still avoiding her dripping little slit and her twitching clit, leaving her tap dancing along the edge of a second orgasm after that intense first one that woke her out of her sleep.

“Eeeeehhhhhmmmmm~” shame filled her as her hips humped upwards, trying to get her boyfriend’s and girlfriend’s fingers to do more than slide around her flooded core. She was so wet she was pretty sure Jaune could slam in full force inside her without any pain! Her tits gushed more milk out into greedy mouths that sucked, licked, twirled tongues around her squirting nipples. Her cheeks burned as she heard the loud swallows both of them, and she glanced down-nopenopenope!-her eye snapped back up and away, knowing if she kept looking into the loving and adoring emerald and sapphire eyes, she would come undone, completely and utterly between them.

Her eye widened as they shifted.

~x~x~x~x~

Jaune and Pyrrha shared a look, seeing their beloved Desert Flower glow under their ministrations, feeling her pussy absolutely gush under their fingertips, her tits letting down and draining into their mouths eagerly, making them swallow more and more, their bellies filling with the delicious drink that was theirs and only theirs.

Their fingers finally moved, Pyrrha wiggling her index and middle fingers into their girlfriend’s tight warmth, beginning to pump them back and forth, marveling at the slick, sticky wetness that clung to her fingertips, Shick, Shick, Shick sounds filling both of their ears as thick strings of her cum gushed from her actions, splattering along her hand and May’s inner thighs.

Jaune, however, retreated upwards, putting his focus onto the emerged little nubbin of May’s clit, his fingertips ghosting over the small bud, spreading the slick that he had acquired over the bundle of nerve endings.

Both smiled into May’s breasts as she bucked like an angry Boarbatusk, outright wailing her bliss to them...and everyone else in the dorms, most likely.

~x~x~x~x~

May thought she could handle it! But no! The attack on her tits, her nipples, her pussy, her clit! All of them worked together to send her over the edge into the most intense orgasm of the week, her body arching and going taut as a bowstring as her pussy gushed, her clear slick squirting out of her flexing and gripping pussy as Pyrrha continued to finger her pussy and Jaune tweaked and toyed with her little bundle of nerves.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAA~♥♥♥~!!!” May heard a scream faintly in her own ears, but knew with shame that it was her. Her boyfriend and girlfriend had made her cum and scream...without even doing much! Damn her sensitive nipples!

What was worse was neither backed down while she was cumming, both continued to finger her, rub her clit, and suck on her still leaking tits!

She slumped as she came down from the cresting high, a myriad creeping around the edges of her sight, and she blushed deeply, glad that today was the weekend, meaning they wouldn’t be missed. Because she could feel them...Pyrrha was grinding against her thigh, leaving sticky wetness against it, and Jaune...well, no one could ignore his burning sword poking them.

She fumbled, trying to move her pinned arms, but neither Juane nor Pyrrha let her up, instead continuing to please her, quickly bringing her arousal up again, making her mewl in a mixture of want and fear. She knew her boyfriend and girlfriend. She knew they could love her body, worship her breasts and pussy and everything in between, for hours on end! And with no classes today…

“MmmmmmmMMMMMMM~♥♥♥~!!” she clenched around Pyrrha’s fingers again in a minor, more muted, orgasm. Where had she been? Oh, yes…

...with no classes today...she’d be loved and worshiped, fucked and filled all day. Her cunt quivered around Pyrrha’s fingers as she realized Jaune would fuck her and fill her pussy, her womb up...he would breed her...and if she was lucky...her breath began getting faster as she imagined it...if she was lucky, Pyrrha would bury her face between her thighs and eat her out after Jaune had emptied his balls into her belly! Before moving up and sharing the creamy treat with her, their tongues tangling and swapping the deliciously salty-sweet flavor of their boyfriend~

“HHHHMMMMMMMM♥♥♥♥~!” May’s eye rolled up into her head as she came again. Brothers, she loved her boyfriend and girlfriend…

~x~x~x~x~

Jaune and Pyrrha hummed happily as their girlfriend relaxed between them, both of them content to drain the breast before them for the time being. Their pleasure would come. This was the weekend, they could do with it what they wanted. And if they wanted to spend the day in their dorm making love to their Desert Flower? That’s what they would do!

#Jaune Arc #Pyrrha Nikos #May Zedong #Combined Arms

134 notes · View notes

rwbyremnants · 3 years

Link

WARNING: Creepy dad talk, das it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and stuff! Thanks for the love and continued readership, I know this is getting really long (and it has SO much left to go), I'm going to try to keep up posting a little more frequently now just so I don't keep everybody waiting too much longer.

=Chapter 26

The Vale Police Department was a dreary building indeed. Small and quaint, but undecorated and forbidding on the inside. Grey walls and white tile floors, and burly men in blue uniforms leaning against desks and chatting with each other in terse voices. They all looked a little surprised to see a teenaged girl in white dress, ponytail only slightly askew.

“Hello,” she said with a small curtsy. “I’m here to speak with Jacques Schnee?”

The one with the black sunglasses on tilted his head back to look at her. ‘Officer Burns’, his nametag read. “You got a name, sweetcakes?”

“It isn’t ‘Sweetcakes’. It’s Weiss Schnee.”

“One second, honey.” He disappeared briefly. Weiss wasn’t sure if she was supposed to keep standing or take one of the uncomfortable seats just inside the front door, but just when she had made up her mind to do the latter, the man returned.

“Yes?”

“Ironwood says you can go on through. Just watch yourself, girlie; this ain’t no sock hop.”

Once through a door in the back, she saw another door made of iron bars. The officer unlocked this, then led her down a row of what she could only describe as cages. They were mostly filled with men, and they all seemed to be interested in wolf-whistling and cat-calling her as she walked past. Maybe she should have worn the longer skirt…

“Want in there with him? I’ll be out here.” He tapped the baton at his hip, suggesting he was ready at a moment’s notice to subdue any prisoner.

“No,” she whispered softly. “I need to speak with him, but I don’t want to be locked in with him. Not ever.”

That earned her a sideways glance. But all he said was, “Righty-o.”

Her father was not in fantastic shape, but in far better than most of his fellow inmates. His suit was a bit grimy looking from sleeping on the dirty cot in the corner upon which he now sat, and his hair and moustache were devoid of their usual lustre. The footsteps had brought his head up, and now he favoured her with a tight smile.

“Hello, little Weiss. Come to gloat?”

“Can we have a moment?” she whispered to the officer, not even daring to acknowledge him first.

“Remember,” he muttered, tapping the baton again. Then he moved further back down the hall, snapping things at prisoners here and there.

“Father.”

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he began while spreading his hands wide, smiling at her. “Gloating is still my first guess, but maybe you’re just curious. Or maybe you’re about to ask ‘Why, Daddy?’ or some other such drivel. As if my answer would be worth a hill of beans to a disobedient child.”

“Who was it?” she demanded.

“Who was what?’

Leaning closer, she glared daggers at him. “The one who set the fire. We both know you had something to do with it, so you might as well tell me.”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said mildly.

“Yes, you do.”

“I have spoken to no one other than the warden and my attorney, Weiss. Certainly not to you or your mother - even though you both owe me quite the heartfelt apology.”

“Apology? You… we owe you an…”

After a moment, she began to laugh harshly. Jacques weathered that sound for a moment before he grew weary and snapped, “What’s so hilarious to you, my idiot daughter?”

“Oh, just that you somehow can’t figure out that you’re the one who failed us. I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you’ve been abusing my mother for our entire lives, and right under my nose. I just chose not to see it. Too late for cover-ups and cleverness, Father; you tried to beat the both of us senseless.”

“You deserved it,” he growled under his breath. “All this gallivanting with gangsters, and somehow, I’m the villain of your narrative, just because I tried to discipline you?”

“It’s not ‘discipline’ to lash my face!” she half-shouted, ripping off the bandage to show the healing cut the leather had left there. “One scar wasn’t enough, huh? You won’t be satisfied until my entire face is so marked up that no one will ever love me! Is that about the size of it?!”

Sighing, he shook his head for a moment. “Don’t be hysterical. It’s unbecoming.”

“So is this beating you gave me. Not attractive at all.”

“Then stop earning beatings,” he bit out as if she weren’t grasping simple concepts. “The same could be said of Willow, really; she never could grow up entirely. And though the last thing I would ever want was to need to treat my wife like a child, it became necessary at times.”

“Liar.”

“Excuse me?”

Teeth bared, Weiss wrapped both hands around the bars so tightly that the knuckles turned whiter than her dress. “Who do you think you’re fooling with that ‘the last thing I would want’ routine? You do want this.”

“Careful,” he said in a dangerous tone.

“You want us to be your… your punching bags! Love to see us get hurt, love that you have the power to do that to us! It’s sick! You’re sick, Father, and I don’t ever want to be alone in the same room with you again!”

With no forewarning, he flung himself at the bars, just barely managing to catch one of her hands before she could pull it back fast enough. She tried to jerk away, but his snarling face was suddenly there, and she found she couldn’t do anything, couldn’t force herself to turn away or try to break free again.

“I’m sorry you were ever born, you ungrateful trollop. Daughters? I never wanted any daughters. Too much trouble, and too much like their mother. Don’t know their place. But I’ll be back to restore order soon enough.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Oh, haven’t I mentioned?” he continued in his oily growl, so low no one else could hear. “Daddy’s getting out of here soon. And you’ll have a lot worse to look forward to than some shabby old building being destroyed the way it should have been years ago.” His grin was positively demented, and she began to worry that his time in the jail had driven him over the edge completely. “I’ll mark your skin once for every stupid word of disrespect you’ve ever said to me. And Willow can look forward to the same.”

“No…” Gulping, she looked up for the officer, but he was turned away. “I’m- you can’t! You hurt us, the police-”

“Weiss, I own the police. I own this entire town. There isn’t anyone I can’t buy off, or call in a favour that they can’t refuse. Within a few days, my hearing will come due, and I’ll be out of this birdcage quicker than you can blink.”

Shaking all over, she whispered, “You’re a monster. You’re really a- I wish I’d never- no. I wish you’d never been born.”

“Then you wouldn’t be born, you bimbo! Honestly, how could I have raised such a dunce?”

“How did you set the fire?!” she demanded, hoping to squeeze some real information from him before she couldn’t stand to be this close anymore.

“Doesn’t matter, does it? I made sure it happened. And I’ll keep doing the same until you see the error of your ways.”

“GUARD!”

By the time he had turned around, he had let go and taken a single step back, enough so that it would not be readily apparent that he was holding her hostage. Shaking and angry beyond measure, she turned to make her way back to the front.

“See you soon, sweetie,” he promised in a carrying, cheery voice. “Very soon.”

--------------------------------

“Wow…”

Weiss nodded as she gazed down into the malted she couldn’t even force down, no matter how hungry she was. Again. Her father’s words had ruined what little appetite she had left.

“Weiss, this is unacceptable,” Pyrrha whispered across the table. “He isn’t being… well, he isn’t being a father at all. How could he say such things?”

“I’d like to smash his face in,” Yang growled under her breath. Many of the diner’s patrons were glancing at her nervously; even if she was a girl, she still looked like a rougher element than they were used to seeing in the warm atmosphere of the establishment.

“Now, now… we won’t solve anything that way. Weiss’s mother will just have to work with Blake’s extra hard to ensure that he won’t be able to do such things.”

The brute rolled her eyes. “Sure, sure. I’m surprised you ain’t trying to tell Weiss to give him a second chance.”

“Well…” This time, she had to pause a bit longer to consider her words. “Forgiveness is divine. But he struck both his daughter and his own wife. Sometimes, God punishes people through the law, and I believe he needs to at least serve his time in jail before he gets any second chance. But if Weiss and Mrs. Schnee don’t want to give one to him… they have my full support.”

“Hmm…” Slowly, her head began to nod, then nodded a little faster. “Alright, Nikos. I guess I can respect that.”

Pyrrha's smile was weak, but at least present. None of them were in a particularly chipper mood anymore. She turned back to Weiss to ask, “How are Cinder and your leader? I can't recall her name.”

“Terrible. I haven't gone to see them yet myself, but the other girls say Cinder is in terrible shape. Salem will be just fine, and Emerald will need to wear some bandages for a little while. But they… they aren't sure about…”

When Yang's hand draped over her own, the tightness that had been building in her chest slowly began to loosen. “Hey. Not your fault, remember? And if it would make you feel better, we could go try to visit them right now. At least Salem and Emerald should be able to have guests and all; with Cinder they keep saying ‘family only’, but what good does that do anybody when she’s got no family?”

Weiss flashed her a grateful smile. “Thank you. And I know Sienna is helping them, but I really would feel better if I checked in on them myself.”

That was how the three of them reached the decision that they would go to the hospital after the soda fountain. All the way there, Weiss was on pins and needles. Would Salem even want to see her? But this wasn't about what anyone did or didn't want - it was about duty. Even though Yang kept telling her not to feel bad about what happened, she couldn't help feeling partially responsible since it was her father's doing.

As they had worried, Cinder was not available for visiting hours. But Salem was. The worst she had suffered was mild smoke inhalation and a few bruises. They also learned that Emerald would soon be released once her bandages were firmly in place, though Weiss had a sneaking suspicion that she would want to remain by Cinder's side.

The strangest thing about Salem wasn't the oxygen tube running underneath her nostrils, or seeing her in the sterile surroundings of a hospital. It was seeing her face and hair in full. She wasn't just pale… she was white. An albino! Weiss had heard some people were born without enough pigment in their skin, but had never met anyone like that before. Her hair was also yet whiter than her own, and done up into several braids. The curtains on her window were drawn, and now she understood that was to protect her sensitive skin from the harsh rays of the sun, just as that ever-present cloak usually helped with.

“Are you just going to stare?”

Dipping her head in mild chagrin, she and Yang paced into the room. “High Dragon. I'm glad to see you are well.”

“And I you, Little Schnee. Though I'm saddened to hear about Cinder. She was… still is, one of my most loyal girls. A fierce Dragon. To lose her would be a great tragedy.”

“I'm sorry, too,” Weiss said. She wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible. “And… I'm afraid I am partially to blame.”

“Oh?”

“It wasn't really her fault,” Yang butted in, voice urgent. “Just because he's a big-”

“Silence, Xiao Long.” Her tone was merely cold, not overly severe. Either way, Weiss saw her girlfriend shut down immediately. “You were saying?”

As succinctly as she could, she explained about what had gone on between her parents, the abuse they had both received at the hands of her father. Then she summarized her visit to the jail itself, and everything he had said. As she listened, Salem made no other remark other than to ask for clarification on a point or two, and nodded or shook her head very slightly. It was as if she were listening to the news on the radio.

“I see. And because your father has taken these actions against us, you feel it is your responsibility?”

“Yes. You… you asked me to… regain his trust, be his good little girl, and I couldn't do that. Now, he thinks he's going to destroy all of us just to make me obey him again. I failed.” She felt Yang's hand fall to her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “No, I don't deserve to be comforted about this! I'm a Dragon now. You were trusting me to do a job, and I didn't, and I deserve whatever punishment you give me.”

There were a long few seconds that passed in silence in that hospital room. Yang's hand went to her shoulder again, unperturbed by her effort to get her to stop, and Weiss neither pushed her away nor acknowledged it.

“Your apology has been noted. No disciplinary action is needed at this time.”

“What?”

“However,” she went on with a single finger raised, eyes locked onto Weiss's. “You should never do that again. Before going to see him in prison, you should have consulted with me, or with the acting High Dragon - Yang.”

“What?” It was Yang this time, stunned. “I thought… well, I know I'm supposed to be someday, but I'm still a kid. Isn't Kali-”

The way she shook her head made Yang fall silent. “No. You should take her counsel into consideration, of course, but you are my successor. Not Kali, not Cinder, and not anyone else. I thought I had made that perfectly clear in the past.”

“You have,” she assured her with a brief bow. “Sorry. I won't forget that next time - but I hope there isn't a next time.”

“One can never know.” Her eyes returned to Weiss, pale hands folding in her lap. “As for you… I suppose you have done no real harm, not directly. This matter will be dealt with. Do you still believe that your mother can be swayed to our side?”

“I, um… I'd rather she not be any more involved than necessary. But yes, she's still working with Kali. And I can tell you she's completely finished with my father! We both are.”

“Then I find that satisfactory for the moment. If you could fetch Sienna from the hall, I believe we have much to discuss before my discharge. You are both dismissed.”

Though she had an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, Weiss did as she was asked. Once they had spoken with Sienna, who looked tired enough for a dozen lifetimes but was as vigilant as ever, Yang led her to the waiting room where Pyrrha sat, sipping from a paper cup of water and looking completely out of her element. She stood the minute she saw the two of them approach.

“How are they?”

“Salem's fine,” Weiss told her softly. “Emerald, too, but… still no word on Cinder. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.”

“I'm worried.” They both turned it to look at Yang, and she shrugged her shoulders. “The way Salem said she'd just ‘take care of it’. What's that mean?”

Pyrrha's shrug was even higher than Yang's. “Search me. But it sounds to me as if she doesn't hold Weiss responsible for what happened. That's a good thing, isn't it?”

“It is,” Weiss sighed weakly. “Now let's get out of here. Hospitals give me the creeps.”

“Me, too,” Yang admitted. She had seemed a little on edge since they got there, but Weiss attributed that to their pending talk with Salem. “Ever since Mom- I mean, Summer…”

Now it made too much sense. Sliding her arm around Yang's waist, she began to lead the other two outside. If they never saw the inside of a hospital again, it would be too soon.

--------------------------------

This time, Yang went with Weiss when she made her way home. There was a possibility the introduction could be awkward, and Yang had certainly expressed a plethora of misgivings, but she wanted to get it out of the way immediately - especially if her mother was going to have more and more contact with the Dragons. Salem seemed to be under the impression that it would become such a regular occurrence that she might as well be one of them, but Weiss was determined to keep that from happening; her high-society mother was not ready to enter that world. Not fully.

Willow Schnee was getting set up in the living room for Kali's daily visit. Though Weiss had never seen her mother dating before, she was certainly pulling out all the stops for her guest as if she were; finger sandwiches, the good tea set, and quite a lovely, pale pink dress gracing her figure. That certainly did nothing to dissuade Weiss from thinking there was a larger amount of affection between the two of them than two new friends would typically share. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, and her expectant expression turned into one surprise.

“Oh! Weiss, hello! Sorry, I thought you would be out quite late this evening. Weren't you going to spend time with your new friends?”

Suppressing a wry smile at the way her mother said “new friends” instead of “group of thugs involved in organized crime”, she closed the door and led Yang over toward the couch where she was seated. “I wanted to check on you. Besides, I'll see them again tomorrow.”

“Well, thank you,” she set earnestly, reaching up to take Weiss's free hand. Her other one was nestled in the small of Yang's back, trying to be reassuring. It didn't seem to be helping much; the blonde brute was still sweating bullets. “But I told you, I'm fine.”

“I know. By the way, Mother, um, this is Yang Xiao Long. My, uhhhh…”

She didn't end up needing to explain. Her mother blinked a few times, looked between the two of them, then lowered her eyes to stare into space.

“Ah. So… she's the one you're… that you- well.”

“My girlfriend.” Somehow, her mother's inability to say it out loud made her need to finish the sentence herself.

“Girlfriend,” she repeated in a tone of utter disbelief. When no one else spoke, she looked up at her daughter, eyes pleading for her to take it back. It made Weiss's stomach clench but she pressed on.

“Yes. I told you about this, remember?”

With a slight nod, her mother turned away again. “Of course, of course. This is very…” A frown line creased the center of her forehead. “I'm sorry, Weiss. Really. I'm just not sure what to say about it. Everything I'm thinking sounds so…”

Yang volunteered a guess. “Bad?” It got Willow to look up at her, and only the presence of Weiss's hand in the small of her back kept her from retreating. “S-sorry, ma'am.”

“No, no, it's alright. That's exactly it: I keep hearing things that our pastor would say, or Jacques, or… but my daughter swears to me that it is true love, not just sin. And she's certainly had a better head on her shoulders than I have for these past few years. Who am I to argue?”

“Maybe,” Weiss attempted, her voice quivering very slightly from sheer anxiety, “if you got to know her, you'll see that she's not just a sinner, or an obstacle, or whatever Father thinks that she is. But you might have to try talking to her yourself to do that.”

That seemed to shake the woman even more. Though she had glanced at Yang once or twice, she finally turned to properly look at her. Whether it was how young she looked, or how uncomfortable and worried about the outcome of this initial meeting, Weiss could never know - but it had the effect of making her frown even more.

“Goodness, I am sorry. Yang Chan, was it? I'm Willow Schnee. Must have left my manners in my other dress.”

As she offered her hand for Yang to take, palm facing down, the Dragon looked a little confused for a moment. Weiss guessed it was partly because her mother had missed her surname and substituted that of Charlie Chan, since that was possibly the only Chinese family name the woman knew. Weiss was inwardly groaning but kept her comments to herself. In the end, Yang accepted the proffered hand and leaned down to kiss the back, as if she were some kind of prince at a royal function.

“Oh!” Willow gasped.

“U-uh,” she began, shaking the hand now even though it was still in that awkward position. “Nice to, um, make your acquaintance?”

Tittering with delight, she turned a wide smile toward her daughter. “So polite - and she speaks very good English! Will wonders never cease?”

Yes, Weiss did indeed feel like she could die then and there.

#princess and the dragons #freezerburn fanfic #weiss x yang #rwby fanfiction #rwbyremnants

1 note · View note

albion-93 · 4 years

Text

Midwinter Solstice Eve

Seasons greetings to one and all! I hope everyone is enjoying themselves and celebrating the holidays as best they can with friends and family.

Just a heads up: this is a long RWBY fanfic, taking place in the same AU as my first fanfic RWBY: Family Lost and Found.

For the RWBY fans who made my time here really swell this year and also enjoyed my past writings, @littlemisssquiggles, @miki-13 , @maripr , @blackhakumen @davidellisartworkstuff , @accel-dragons @jade-rosepine and @che1sea-xiao-long this is for you. Hope you’re having a lovely holiday, and I hope you enjoy.

Act 1

Midwinter Solstice Eve had brought an unprecedented level of calm to the island province of Patch, even with the increasing threat of Grimm attacks. The coastal port towns were bathed in warm golden and crimson lights, security was at an all year-high and people went about their ways doing their best to keep merry. Airships and boats to the other kingdoms were preparing to leave. At first, the setting sun pierced the clouds and shafts of bright orange light cut across the frosty blue snow-laden fields and forests. But over time, these clouds grew thicker and snow fell faster and heavier than before, and the last of the daytime light was dying out.

In a secluded forested part of Patch, a two story log cabin stood resolute against the thickening blizzard, and cosy golden light gleamed invitingly within. The home of Taiyang Xiao-Long was a model of Midwinter Solstice preparations. In the kitchen was filled with the tantalising scent of slow-roasting game birds, and Tai went up and down the kitchen with his recipe book while his assistants, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren and Oscar Pine went about their culinary tasks.

“Alright girls and boys,” called out Tai as he removed a tray of roast potatoes from the oven, “let’s move this feast to the final phase! Nora, stop eating those potatoes and put them in the oven!”

“But they’re so tasty – oh, fine!”

“Ren, how are those vegetables coming?”

“Almost ready, Mr Xiao-Long!”

“Also maybe put a little more icing on the chocolate yule log, you know how my girls love their sweets.”

“I thought you wanted Ruby to eat less sweet stuff?” he asked incredulously, “I mean pudding, mince pies, and yule log?”

“True, true; but since it’s that time of year again we only get to go this big once. Just wait, between Ruby and Nora there’ll be hardly any desserts left!” he chuckled with a pat on the farm boy’s back and went into the lounge to check on how his daughters and their partners were doing.

It was a much more pleasant sight; the lounge was filled with soft carpets with the walls and mantelpieces decked with crimson, pine-green and gold trimmings. True to form, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee were partnered off on the decorations, while Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long moved in and out of the house doing different jobs in conversation. Chairs were pulled in and a portable Atlesian fire-place where the TV used to be was just starting to burn; ‘an old present from James’ as Tai said. Taking a short break from cooking, Oscar picked up a nearby guitar and strummed it a few times before settling on a soft melody, glancing towards . In the corner stood the decorated festive pine tree, with Ruby happily humming as she placed hand-carved and painted robins on what free branches still remained, thinking fondly about her mother. Weiss levitated a wreath of red and white roses onto the pine tree’s highest branches with Myrtenaster’s Gravity Dust function, smiling as she floated the wreath up and down. Blake came in and gave an amused smile at the sight.

“No offence, but that doesn’t look like the most efficient use of your limited Dust reserves. Couldn’t you just get the ladder?” suggested Blake.

“You’re right I could, but I never get to do any of this festive stuff, so I’m taking every chance.”

“You really are Defiance aren’t you,” chuckled Blake, more to herself than Weiss, who merely stared back quizzically at her as she went out again.

“Actually, I haven’t felt this relaxed – this happy even, in a long time.”

“Oh, it’s great isn’t it? I can’t wait to see your face when you open my present!” said Ruby excitedly, bobbing side to side, making Weiss giggle.

“Well you’ll just have to be a little patient,” she said with an air of playful parental authority, and she smiled softly at distant memories, “I remember when I was little my Mom would say that to get me to wait because I always wanted Midwinter Solstice to come a day early. I used to get so excited… but that really didn’t last long. Before I left for Beacon they had become so suffocating dry, formal and by the end so cold and resentful that I almost forgot just how sweet they could be.”

Weiss looked down sadly, and Ruby lifted her chin up encouragingly.

“Dad and I have tomorrow all planned out: snowball fights, games, movies, and karaoke!”

“Wonderful!” said Weiss with a bigger smile, which faltered as she saw Nora, Ren and Oscar talking worriedly among each other. She pointed this out to Ruby just as Yang and Blake came back in, and the two teams convened.

“Something wrong, guys?” asked Yang.

“This snowstorm is looking worse by the minute,” said Nora looking worried, “and we’re just hoping that Jaune and Pyrrha’s boat made it out in time.”

“They said their ship was leaving before the storm hit, but we haven’t heard from them in a while,” said Ren holding up his scroll.

“I’ve seen blizzards like this before back on the farm, and they’re worse than hazardous to travel in,” said Oscar as he stared out the window.

“Also, this little guy’s feeling homesick,” added Nora, wrapping her arms tightly around Oscar.

“Nora! I said it’s not a big deal!” he said quickly, but too late as a light chorus of endearment broke out among RWBY, turning the lad bright red as Nora grinned and Ren sighed.

“I mean, she isn’t wrong,” admitted Oscar, “I just had a rush of memories of watching the snow from the farmhouse bedroom and keeping warm by the fireplace with my aunt and uncle. Sometimes the extended family came over! It’s my first Midwinter away from them...”

“Awww, don’t worry, Oscar, you’ll feel right at home here,” said Ruby, smiling and placing an arm around Oscar’s shoulders, causing the boy to smile nervously and attempt to hide his blushing. “Dad always makes the best Winter Solstice dinner.”

“Actually, from the looks of things we might have a little too much food on our hands,” said Yang, “Guess we know what we’re having for lunch tomorrow!”

Suddenly, Ruby’s scroll starting buzzing. She answered and put it on speaker.

“RUBY!” yelled Jaune’s voice; he sounded panicked and hoarse, “Please get down here with Bumblebee fast! It’s me and Pyrrha, we’re stranded and the ice is breaking!”

Act 2

Within minutes, the four girls strapped on their Huntress gear and wrapped up warm for the mission. Based on Jaune’s description, the river was less than ten miles away winding between two hills. Yang fixed a snowplow on Bumblebee’s front wheel and revved the bike up for heavy duty action while Ruby fixed a trailer to the back. They gathered torches and ropes and packed them in the trailer. Before RWBY could set out, they heard a shrill voice load and clear.

“That’s half our team out there! We’re coming too!” declared Nora.

There was no arguing with her on that matter; time and the elements were both against them. With Yang driving, Ruby on the scroll to keep Jaune calm and determine where he was

“Wait, I want to help!” Oscar called out, covered head to toe in warm clothing, as the bike sped down the road until it vanished behind the snow drifts.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Tai yelled, grabbing Oscar’s arm, “Those kids are tough and capable, and you’re not at their level yet, Oscar. If you run out there you’ll get lost and freeze and I’m not losing anyone on Midwinter Solstice!”

“Tai, this snow’s getting much worse, they won’t be able to see where they’re going!” said Oscar, undeterred by Tai’s warning, “We’ve got to give them their best chance to get back.”

With the headlights at full beam, Yang drove as fast as she could through the forest towards the river, bobbing and weaving without dislodging the trailer behind her. Ten miles of straight road would have been nothing to Bumblebee but the combination of weather and treacherous downhill terrain slowed their progress. Even with the warm clothing and aura, they couldn’t stay out for long. As the trees gave way, they saw the river winding through the two hills and plowed through the heavy drifts to the riverbank. Everyone disembarked from the trailer and searched the area, calling out Jaune and Pyrrha’s names.

“There they are!” called out Blake, pointing towards a faint and distant flashing light several hundred yards away on the river’s ice covered surface. She could make out two distant figures, one stretching out and waving the other collapsed

“Guys, I think Pyrrha’s down!” added Blake, her ears folded down in dread.

“Then let’s go!” yelled Nora as she began to charge, only to be stopped by Ren, pointing out the fickle character of the frozen surface.

“I can use my semblance to get to them faster!” said Ruby with determination, “Nora, can you give me a boost?”

“CAN I?!” she bellowed with renewed vigour.

“Alright, then I’ll follow behind. I can get some distance with my glyphs,” said Weiss.

“I’ll tie the ropes together, Blake can you help me?” said Ren, Blake nodded.

“I’ll keep Bee warm for when we need to get out of here,” said Yang, revving the engine.

With the intensifying blizzard obscuring their vision of Jaune’s scroll light, they put the plan into motion. Blake and Ren had finished tying the ropes together, and passed them over to Weiss.

“Hurry, I think the ice is beginning to crack,” warned Blake, Weiss nodded.

She cast her glyphs across the river and began to run with all speed across her conjured bridge. Ruby stood perched like a bird of prey atop Magnhild, and Nora sent Ruby soaring through the air with a mighty swing in mid-semblance. She careened through the frozen night air, keeping altitude with Crescent Rose, a cascade of red against the black sky and pallid snow. Ruby used her semblance one more time as she spun towards Jaune and Pyrrha and skidded across the ice, clamping down with a swing of her scythe. Weiss wasn’t far behind.

Both of them looked pale and exhausted, Pyrrha was barely conscious but Jaune managed to pull a smile as the two friends embraced with one arm still around Pyrrha. She looked further ahead and gasped at the broken ice just a few yards ahead.

“Oh am I glad to see you!” cried Jaune frantically, “She fell through the ice! I’ve been trying to keep her warm! Help me carry her!”

Ruby nodded and raised Pyrrha up; she was murmuring deliriously and barely able to stand but still managed with the last vestiges of her aura to keep going. They started making good progress towards the shore. Suddenly the ominous sound of cracking ice came beneath them.

“Grab on!” yelled Weiss, tossing them the rope and casting a glyph beneath their feet as the ice ceased to support their weight. Back on shore, the combined strength of Nora, Ren, Blake and Yang tugged them back to shore. When they touched solid ground, the two reunited teams broke into a tight and tearful group hug, Pyrrha especially with light sobs of relief and gratitude.

“Hey guys, plenty of time for this back at Dad’s house,” said Yang, starting to shiver herself.

“I can’t tell where we are! This blizzard’s getting impossible to move through!” said Blake, barely able to make out the road with the snow obscuring the way and filling Bee’s tracks.

“We just keep going uphill,” said Yang stubbornly, “there barely any roads through here. And Bee’s using up too much juice to keep warm.”

They had been gone five minutes up the road towards Tai’s lodge. Nora and Ren kept close to Jaune and Pyrrha, and Weiss had conjured a small flame to keep them going. After another five minutes of more empty woodland and a winding trail, Yang slowed down and stopped to look around, the others stared around looking for any sign of habitation, like distant lights or smoke.

“Shit… none of this looks familiar,” she said angrily, “Where the hell are we?!”

“Maybe we should double back,” suggested Blake.

“We could get even more lost,” said Weiss, now starting to get nervous.

“Wait, I’ve got Dad’s signal, he must have followed us. I’m calling him!” said Ruby, opening up her scroll and tapping Tai’s number. She didn’t have long to wait.

“Ruby, finally! I’ve been trying to reach you!” said Tai over the wire, “I followed your trail halfway down the southern road but can’t find you guys anywhere!”

“We got lost! Are you out there by yourself?”

“Yes, Oscar’s back at the house. Listen to me; look out for the red signal flare. Find that and you’ll find the road. I’m launching in three, two-”

“Look, there it is!” cried Nora, pointing towards a bright red flash, barely covered by the falling snow and thick snow-laden branches.

“Yeah, I see it too! It’s not that far!” said Ruby excitedly.

“What? Ruby, I haven’t fired mine yet! Are you sure you see a flare?” said Tai incredulously, “I’m firing mine now; keep an eye out for it!”

Seconds later, another much further and fainter red light appeared, coming from back the way they came. The group looked amongst each other, now uncertain what to make of this. Then another flare rose up from beyond the tree line, same as where the first flare came from.

“Ruby, I see it too, you’re a lot further out than I thought,” said Tai, something in his voice sounded different, “change of plan, follow that flare, it’s closer to the lodge.”

Wasting no more time, Yang revved up Bumblebee and made a break for the source of the flare. Bee started to sputter, and fear began to grip the teams at the prospect of walking blind and losing precious time. The light from the flare went out. But before long, the trees became less dense and the familiar warm lights of Tai’s house came into view. Yang laughed and whooped and punched the air as she revved towards the lodge.

They spotted a lone figure glad in green standing in the snow covered field and waving his arms, and a few of the group peered out to see as they got closer.

“OSCAR!” yelled an ecstatic Nora, and with her arm outstretched grabbed him right off his feet and into the trailer locked in a tight tackle hug. He was shivering and had snowflakes tousled in his hair, signs that he had been outside for a while.

“Guys, we all gotta get inside,” reminded Blake, pointing to Jaune and Pyrrha lying prone, everyone nodded in agreement as they convened inside Tai’s house.

Act 3

Yang had her scroll out to inform Tai that they all made it back. The Atlesian fireplace was burning low with fresh fuel, another one of Oscar’s preparations before he went outside. Weiss went back and forth from the kitchen and came back with mugs of tea and hot chocolate for everyone, and knelt before the closely huddled Jaune and Pyrrha, both of whom were too tired to talk and looked close to drifting off.

“There, there,” cooed Weiss softly to both of them, stroking their foreheads gently, “just take it easy; you both had a tough time of it. But you’re safe now.”

Ruby brought down a high pile of blankets, jumpers and sweaters for Jaune and Pyrrha to put on, one red and one yellow, while Oscar brought extra cushions and draped them both in a thick blanket and sat down beside them.

“I’m so glad you’re both safe, I was scared we were gonna lose you out there,” he said gently.

After every means to be comfortable was taken, the fatigued RWBY and JNPPR sat huddled close around the fireplace in silence for the next several minutes, taking in the welcome warmth and looking amongst one another with in subdued, harmonious relief.

“That was way too close,” said Weiss at last, hugging her knees.

“No argument from me,” stuttered Jaune, as Pyrrha held him tightly.

The door opened again, it was Tai.

“Hey kids,” said Tai discreetly, with Ruby and Yang running up to hug him followed by all the other team members. He went down to green Jaune and Pyrrha, but Oscar guiltily hung back. He turned to face everyone, “Seriously, well done everyone. I’ve seen some daring feats in heavy snow at night, but you just raised the bar. So, you want to tell me what happened out there?”

While Ruby and Yang took turns recounting what happened, Tai listened intently and nodded proudly at each of them, and team spirit was on the rise.

“It sounds like you guys were just legendary out there!” said Oscar at last, looking around excitedly and gesturing to each of them in turn, “I mean, Ruby soaring through the blizzard Weiss with her glyphs, Nora with her hammer, and the rope plan. You guys must have been legendary!”

“You should have seen Yang’s driving, she was on fire!” said Nora with a little bounce.

“Why thank you, Nora! Bumblebee’s gonna need a lot of work after that,” commented Yang, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

“Well, any vehicle is only ever as good as its driver,” said Blake with a smile, “and that placed us in excellent hands.”

Yang grinned and thanked her partner, and the two leaned in closely.

“Oh, and I switched the oven and cooker off before I went out, to not spoil the food,” said Oscar shyly to Tai, “I put them back on and reset the timers when we returned.”

“Smart move; the meal was saved just in time, despite the danger you put yourself in,” said Tai with his arms folded, he seemed to be making a concerted effort not to be cross.

“Dad, please don’t go there,” said Ruby reproachfully.

“Sir, if it weren’t for Oscar’s timely signal flare, we would probably be dead,” said Jaune with a little more strength in his voice.

“We put everyone in danger,” said Pyrrha at last, her eyes misty and cast down.

“Pyrrha, honey, please don’t-”

“It’s true… I wanted Jaune to meet my family for Midwinter Solstice. I wanted to make it this grand, almost fanciful meet-up. After the ship left without us, we argued a lot along the way, I insisted we try to get there no matter wat. We should not have tried to make the journey back to Argus with the blizzard closing in…”

“Pyr, I’m just as much to blame for this, if not more, I said we could make it to Tai’s lodge before the bad weather hit. We got turned around and stranded on that river, and then you fell in the ice!” Jaune cried out racked with guilt and anger, Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder.

“You wouldn’t leave me,” she said reassuringly, “I knew I had a chance with you.”

“You two wanted to spend Christmas with family, I think we all understand that,” said Ren.

“I think anyone who has a family they would brave a blizzard to be with is a special kind of lucky,” said Nora, “I know I would”

“We kind of did,” added Ren. Smiles started to bloom among the group.

“You both need to stop blaming yourselves for what nearly happened,” said Oscar earnestly, “You’re right, mistakes were made and it was way too close. But through it all, I’m just happy to have both of you here and alive with us under this roof, brought together in spite of peril and strife. In the end, Midwinter Solstice is all about that.”

“That reminds me about that song you played for me a few nights ago, could you play it again for us?” asked Ruby.

Oscar’s eyes went wide, but with a deep breath he asked if everyone else wanted to hear. With everyone giving consent, Oscar picked up the guitar and sang softly to the low fire crackling.

“When the silence wakes you, when your nights are long,

When the world forsakes you, please be strong.

Nothing hurts you forever, it will fade away,

And the sky will be blue again, one day.

No matter how cold the winter, no matter how deep the snow,

We will be warm again and the grass will grow.

No matter where life may take us, no matter how hard they try,

They will not break us, you and I.

When it’s dark inside you, when your flame is low,

I will be beside you, you will know.

Let it fall all around you, let the cold winds cry,

Let the old winds of yesterday blow by.

No matter how cold the winter, no matter how deep the snow,

We will be warm again and the grass will grow.

No matter where life may take us, no matter how hard they try,

They will not break us, you and I.”

Oscar blushed as applause broke out among the group, and some cheering from Yang and Tai.

“Well sung, little dude, well sung,” said Jaune.

“At Beacon you were all there when I needed help, especially you Pyrrha, and honestly this is just a small way of saying thank you,” said Oscar, still red in cheeks.

“Oh, Oscar, bless you,” said Pyrrha softly, eyes glistening. She held her arm out invitingly, Oscar budged closer and she pulled him into gentle, caressing hug.

“Thank you for being there when we needed you,” she murmured, gently swaying him side by side, enveloping her arms and blanket around him until he was effectively cocooned within. She held his face close and leaned and kissed his cheek causing the boy to open his eyes wide in shock.

“Are there no limits to your adorableness?” cooed Jaune as he embraced both of them within his blanket and ruffled Oscar’s hair.

“Mm-mm” shaking her head and giggled, still cuddling Oscar.

Nora and Ren piled in on either side of the three-way hug. In the middle of them, a series of small squeaks came from Pyrrha, grinning whilst tears down her cheeks. Team RWBY looked on, a mixture of awe and “aww” shared between them.

“I think I’ll skip the dessert, because that was the sweetest thing I’ve ever feasted my eyes on!” Yang whispered to Blake.

Ruby felt Weiss’s hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Ruby, despite the near-death experience out in the wilderness, I just want to say thank you for inviting me over for Midwinter Solstice; being here with everyone is so much better than being back at Atlas.”

“Don’t mention it, Weiss. It certainly crazy how close that was, but it worked out in the end! Just promise me one thing for the holiday.”

“Name it!”

“Don’t think about Atlas or anyone there who makes you unhappy and unfestive; I forbid it!”

“I don’t think ‘unfestive’ is a real word, but deal!” she said happily, drawing her in for a hug.

Tai came back in to announce that the game birds were cooked and there is definitely enough for the two new guests. Blake and Yang went in first, while JNPPR went in as one leaning in among each other. Ruby winked to Weiss and both reached out to pull Oscar in, and he gave a little yelp when both girls pulled him into their embrace. Ruby glanced up, something small and green was floating above them.

“Wait, I don’t remember ever hanging up mistletoe…” said Ruby nervously.

“Oscar, was this your doing?” said Weiss, raising her eyebrow.

“How could it be my doing?”

They paused and followed the line of string hanging the infamous little festive plant and gave out one big, shared yell; “NORA!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: I really did want to write a new poem/song for this story rather than recycle an old one, but it still felt fitting both to the story and for the season.

Thank you, everyone.

36 notes · View notes