A very Merry Christmas to you all! This year, I have a Ladybug/Freezerburn fic, and it's dedicated to booksandweapons for her art trade with me! Thank you, Dani!

A/N: This is an unofficial sequel to Warm Laundry, another Ladybug fic of mine, so please give it a read, if you'd like!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Blankets Of Snow

The sounds of excited yipping and barking woke Blake that morning.

Her ears flicked a few times as she opened her eyes with a groan, her vision adjusting to the pale, early sunlight slipping in past the curtains. Her gaze went instantly to the floor between hers and Weiss' beds, where a small, pudgy dog was alternating between chasing his stump of a tail and racing over to the window.

Blake loved her girlfriend, she truly did, but she just wished that Ruby could control her dog a bit better sometimes.

Judging by the sighs and whimpers coming from above and beside her, Blake knew she wasn't the only one who'd been woken by Zwei's barks; he proved to be ten times more effective than any alarm clock, because he couldn't be shut off, and when ignored for more than a few minutes, he resorted to jumping up on beds and licking faces.

Blake shuddered at the less-than-pleasant memories of the time he'd done it to her, subconsciously wiping her sleeve over her face as she sat herself up in bed. The others were just doing the same when the Faunus girl mumbled in a tired voice.

"What's the matter with him?"

"It can't be anything bad," Weiss noted as the corgi rushed over to her and pawed at her legs. "He seems happy."

"Ruby's the dog whisperer," Yang yawned. "She can figure it out."

"Mmmm, yeah! Leave it to me!" The young leader slipped her legs out from the blankets and over the edge. She checked to make sure Weiss wasn't in danger of being hit before she jumped down onto the floor a few feet from the hyperactive dog. She scooped him up and pushed her nose to his. "What's up, Zwei? Are you that hungry that you couldn't wait another hour?"

Blake had to look away when her girlfriend kissed the dog's head; Blake herself had kissed those lips, and she didn't fancy the idea of indirect, intimate contact with the dog.

It took Ruby another minute or so to figure things out, but after watching how Zwei kept looking toward the window, she finally caught the hint. Once she'd pulled the curtains aside, she let out a delighted squeal.

"Ahhh! Ohmigosh it's snowiiiiiing!" She gave Zwei and excited squeeze before letting him jump to the floor again.

"Well, whaddaya know?" Yang chuckled, dropping down to the floor. "First snow of the season, and on a weekend so we can enjoy it!"

"Or stay inside and do our homework," Weiss offered.

"I like the sound of that," Blake agreed.

"Awww, c'mon you guys!" Ruby spun around happily, clapping her hands together. "We can't just do work all day! We can do that later or tomorrow! But we gotta enjoy the snow!"

"There will be plenty more to come," the heiress reassured her. "But I guess it couldn't hurt to go outside for a few minutes."

"Yaaaay!" Ruby quickly threw her arms around her partner, and Weiss nearly fell backward into her mattress. Next, the brunette went to her sister and squeezed Yang tightly as well, and the blonde returned it with a ruffle to her hair.

At last, Ruby scurried to Blake's bed and kissed her sweetly. The Faunus girl was a bit surprised, but not at all opposed, and the she kissed back briefly before they parted.

"Morning, by the way!" Ruby beamed up at her.

Blake smiled and tucked a lock of rosy hair behind her ear.

"Morning."

In the meantime, Yang had gone to Weiss' bed to help her girlfriend up, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before stretching.

Weiss began making her bed as the others went to the pantry to fetch cereal, bowls, and spoons, and Blake started the water for some tea as Yang did the same for Weiss' morning coffee.

Ruby had just finished putting Zwei's food into his dish when she heard her partner's voice.

"Oh!" Weiss straightened herself up just as she finished adjusting her pillow. "Do you know what we've got to do today?"

"Mm..." Yang put a hand to her chin. "Play in the snow and then laze around and drink hot cocoa and coffee and tea?"

"Alright, but before all of that," Weiss grunted. "We've got to wash the comforters on our beds."

"But we just did laundry two nights ago!" Ruby complained.

"That was clothing," Weiss reminded her. "But you've got to wash comforters on the beds at least once a month, preferably more than that. Today would be a good day for it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ruby got to her feet and poured herself some cereal. "We could put the blankets in the wash and then go outside for a bit while they're getting washed and dried! Then, when we come back in a little chilly, the beds will be all warm and dry!"

"Oooh~" Yang hummed. "That sounds like an awesome idea. What say you, partner?" She looked to Blake who'd just finished pouring tea for herself.

The Faunus girl's ears flicked; they all knew full-well how much she loved warm laundry; she often fell asleep on piles of it if the rest of them let her.

"That sounds nice," she said, though she needed to fight a bit to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Alllrighty then! It's settled!" Ruby declared. "Today is officially Team RWBY's Play In The Snow And Snuggle Day!"

"Hell yeah!" Yang fist-pumped the air, forgetting she'd been holding a mug full of steaming hot coffee in her fingers. Weiss shrieked as a bit of it spilled onto the carpet, and she immediately set to scolding.

"You oaf! Did you burn yourself? Let me see your arm."

"I'm fine, Weiss. Take it easy." She kissed the heiress' forehead and Weiss pouted.

Ruby squealed softly and giggled to herself as she watched the two of them.

While Yang and Weiss were focused on each other, Blake took the opportunity to get her own girlfriend alone for a minute. She put her tea cup down onto the counter and slipped her arms around Ruby's stomach from behind. The brunette hummed happily, leaning back into her, feeling the immediate purr that started to rumble in Blake's chest.

"Heehee, it tickles!" she squealed, wriggling at the vibrations against her shoulders. Blake nuzzled into the side of her neck and kissed her temple.

Their contact only last briefly before the two pairs parted, returning their attention to their meals.

Once breakfast was finished, they discussed what course of action to take next.

Ruby sped to her drawers and pulled out some warm pants, shirt, and her favorite red hoodie, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

Meanwhile, the others went to their respective beds to start stripping the mattresses of pillows, sheets, and blankets. Yang helped Weiss take care of Ruby's as well, and once they'd bared the beds, they assisted one another in folding everything they could as neatly as possible.

Ruby emerged fully dressed and clearly excited, and Blake quickly took her leave to get changed next; Weiss was presently scolding Yang for her folded blankets having too many wrinkles and was demanding they redo it. After that, Ruby brought them the laundry baskets and helped them stuff all the blankets inside.

By then, Blake had finished changing into long black pants and a dark purple sweater, and Weiss and Yang respectively followed to take turns changing.

Ruby was sitting by the door with the baskets of laundry, waiting for Yang to finish changing and Weiss to finish brushing her hair when she noticed Blake going to the nightstand between the beds. Her girlfriend pulled open the drawer there and extracted a familiar black ribbon. Ruby frowned when she saw it and quietly made her way over, speaking softly.

"Are you gonna wear that?" she asked. She had thought Blake was comfortable enough around her team to keep her ears revealed. She had no problem letting them be visible when in the dorm room every night, but perhaps it was still a struggle for her to go outside with them in plain sight.

Blake saw the sparks of sadness in Ruby's eyes and her own gaze softened.

"Yes. But not for the reasons you're thinking. Just because it'll help keep them warm. Ear muffs don't do much for these kind of ears, after all."

"Ooooh. Yeah, I see what you mean." Ruby nodded. "Then at least let me tie it on for you! I'll be gentle."

And she was, almost too gentle with how loosely she tied it. As soon as Blake straightened up, the ribbon came undone. Ruby wailed apologies.

"Waaah I'm sorry! Lemme try again!"

"It's alright. You don't have to be so hesitant."

"B-But I don't wanna hurt you!"

"You won't. It's fine, Ruby."

"...Okay." The young leader tried again, tightening the material just a bit this time, making sure all of Blake's fur was concealed before she took a step back. "How does that feel?"

Blake wiggled her ears experimentally, liking the way the bow moved with them rather than constricting them.

"Actually... this is much better than when I've tied it for myself. Maybe I'll have you do it from now on."

"Ooh, I'd love to!"

Blake pressed a quick, appreciative kiss to her forehead.

At last, Yang had finished changing into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, exiting the bathroom with a loud declaration.

"Alright! Let's do this thing!"

"Not so fast!" Weiss chided her instantly. "Are you insane? You want to go outside in just that? You'll catch your death, Yang."

"Aw, don't be so uptight, hun. I'll be fine! Remember my semblance?"

"That's hardly an excuse. Put a coat on."

"But Weiiiss-"

"Now."

"...Fine..."

As Yang begrudgingly slipped into a small brown coat, Weiss took her own advice and put on a light blue trench coat.

Once the heiress had checked over every single one of her teammates to ensure they were all warm enough and had their boots on, she deemed them ready for departure.

"Phew!" Ruby sighed. "Glad we all passed inspection!"

Weiss flicked her forehead.

Yang and Blake lifted the two laundry baskets while Ruby held the doors for them and Weiss instructed them how to move. Zwei scampered at his owner's feet, as eager as Ruby herself to go out and play, but first they needed to take care of their chores.

They went at an easy pace, Ruby holding doors whenever necessary and Weiss giving orders or occasionally diving in to steady one of them.

When at last they reached the laundry room, Blake and Yang sighed as they let down their baskets.

"Well, that was a good warm-up!" Yang declared, cracking her neck and shoulders. "Now I'm ready to lift even more things."

"Like what?" Weiss queried. "Snow?"

"Mmmaybe~"

The heiress rolled her eyes but pressed no further questions.

The four of them unloaded their comforters, sheets, and pillow cases into the designated washing machines. Yang took care of the settings before stepping back and clapping her hands.

"Alright! All done here! Now let's go out and enjoy that snow!" She swiftly linked her arm around Weiss' and started hauling the girl out of the laundry room, and Zwei charged after them. Blake and Ruby followed more slowly, their gloved hands coming together, fingers curling.

"But I won't go easy on you if we have a snowball fight," Ruby warned her.

Blake smirked. "I didn't expect you to."

They walked down the hallway until they reached an exit leading to Beacon's courtyard. Yang had already hauled Weiss outside, the heiress' white, wool scarf already dangling off her shoulders haphazardly as she tried to wriggle free.

As soon as Ruby stepped out into the snow, she let out a loud "brrr!" and shook herself.

"It feels nice, though!" she chirped. "Even if it's a little cold!"

There were only about four inches of snow presently on the ground, and the flakes continued to fall at a steady pace, covering the grass and few bushes in soft blankets of the stuff.

Ruby watched as her sister dragged her partner off to toss snowballs back and forth to one another so Zwei could chase them. There was so much Ruby wanted to do, she wasn't sure where to start.

"Blake! Help me make a snow angel!"

"Sure."

Ruby let go of her hand and flopped down onto her back before sweeping her arms and legs apart and back together again in jumping-jack motions. Blake stood by and watched her giggle, her cheeks already rosy, her silver eyes shining like stars.

When her leader had finished, Ruby lifted her hands up toward her girlfriend.

"Carefuuul..." she mumbled.

Blake minded herself not to get footprints on Ruby's work of art, grabbing her wrists and hoisting her to her feet in one swift motion. Ruby jumped up and spun around to admire her work.

"Hmm, not bad! Do you wanna make one, Blake?"

"I think I'll pass."

"Okay! Then how about we build a snowman together?"

Without waiting for an answer, Ruby sunk to her knees and started gathering snow toward herself. Blake sat down more daintily and helped her girlfriend get a fine collection before Ruby started sculpting.

As they worked, their partners continued to play with Zwei for a while, until Weiss' hands went to her knees.

"I need a minute..." she panted.

"Aww, is the Ice Queen already exhausted? Too cold fer ya?" Yang teased.

"Shut it. I just woke up. I'm not ready for such strenuous activities just yet..." As she caught her breath, Yang sauntered over to her. Weiss glared up at her. "What do you-"

"Ally-oop!"

With a loud shout, Yang locked her arms around her girlfriend's waist and lifted Weiss high into the air, up above her head. The heiress shrieked.

"Y-Yang! Put me down, you great oaf!"

"Remember what I said before? Liftin' laundry baskets was only a warm-up! Though I think you're a lot lighter."

"Flattery won't spare you now! Put me down!"

"You asked for it!"

Yang gave a spin before falling down onto her back, holding Weiss to her chest and hearing the "oof!" as the air flew from the smaller girl's lungs.

"Y-You..."

"I just felt it was appropriate for the snow angel to make a snow angel," the blonde shrugged. Weiss just sighed heavily, allowing herself to go limp in Yang's arms, taking the opportunity to rest for a moment.

Ruby and Blake continued making their snowman, pausing only when Zwei came darting over to them. Her burrowed beneath the snow, making a tunnel for himself before popping out in front of Ruby. She giggled and patted his head, forming a snowball and tossing it for him to chase.

Blake was working on the torso of the snowman when Yang and Weiss sat up together, dusting each other off.

"It's about time to put the laundry in the dryer," Weiss declared. "I'll go do that." She stood and brushed the snow off her clothes and out of her hair.

Yang got to her feet as well. "I'll come, too. I don't think you can wrestle all four comforters by yourself."

"What, you don't think I'm strong enough?" Weiss scoffed. "I'll bet it's just because you want to come inside. You're cold, aren't you? Because you dressed so inappropriately for such weather."

"No way! I'm not cold!"

"Of course not."

They continued bickering as they headed back to the school.

Ruby watched them go before turning to Blake, an innocent smile on her lips.

"Let's pause Mr. Snowman for a minute."

Blake nodded, and a few seconds later, Ruby was sliding closer to her, wrapping her arms around Blake's sides and back, nuzzling affectionately into her scarf and collar. She sighed happily and closed her eyes.

"Mmmm, you're so warm, Blake~"

"Are you getting chilly? Should we head back inside?"

"Not yet! Let's just rest for a minute, and then we can finish the snowman."

"If you're sure."

"How are your ears? Are they cold?"

"They're fine. You tied the ribbon in a way that's not allowing any cool air to slip through, so it's actually quite comfortable."

"Yay, I'm glad!"

Ruby squeezed her tighter, and Blake returned the contact. She'd gotten used to the cold of the snow she sat in, and now instead focused on Ruby's wafting warmth. She rested her chin on her leader's head, tucking Ruby into her chest to shield her from the breeze.

Blake felt a purr working its way up her throat, the only sound now other than the very faint sounds of their breathing. She wasn't so much a fan of the cold, but she did greatly enjoy the silence that came with it.

Blake closed her eyes, resting for a moment until she felt Ruby shift. Chilled lips found her own, and Blake was intent to warm them up.

Pulling Ruby into her lap, she moved her mouth slowly against the younger girl's, sharing a bit of heat. Ruby giggled and pecked her cheek, then her nose.

"I love you, Blake!"

The Faunus girl felt a warmth curling around her heart. She opened her eyes, feeling the slight sting of joyful tears behind them, struggling to hold them back.

"I love you, too..." she breathed.

A few more minutes passed as they ignored the cold, focused instead on each other.

When at last they heard the distant sounds of bantering, the two girls looked up to find Weiss and Yang heading back toward them.

Ruby quickly scrambled off of Blake's lap, and they both instantly missed the contact.

Weiss called over to them.

"We should head back inside in about ten minutes, alright?"

"Gotcha!" Ruby saluted to her before turning back to Blake. "Alright, let's finish this snowman!"

"Right."

The pair returned to their sculpting while Yang and Weiss went back to playing with Zwei.

The snow continued falling softly, and by the time Ruby had dug up a few pebbles and sticks to add to the completed snowman, another inch or so of fluff covered the ground.

Just before Weiss could announce that it was time to go back in, a stray snowball from Yang accidentally hit the heiress in the stomach.

After the pie incident in the cafeteria, they all knew what resulted from hitting Weiss.

An all-out snowball fight broke out instantly as Weiss scooped up a handful of snow and hurled it at the blonde.

"You'll regret that!"

"Hey, hey, easy! I'm your girlfriend, remember?"

"Then I won't be going easy on you!"

The two girls each bent down and began forming as many snowballs as possible, calling out for assistance from their respective partners. Ruby smirked at Blake and kissed her cheek.

"I won't go easy on you either~"

With that, she quickly darted over to Weiss and began helping her make snowballs. Blake hurried to Yang and started making a wall of sorts for them to duck behind.

For a few moments, it was a typical fight with snowballs being tossed back and forth between the teams.

Only when Weiss cast a glyph and used it to hurl them at the enemy did things get more intense – and slightly lean in her favor.

With her final throw, she managed to score Yang in the face, and the blonde flopped down onto her back.

"No fair!" she cried, rubbing snow off her eyes. "Weiss is cheating!"

"All's fair in love and war!" Weiss snapped.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. "And this is both!"

Blake laughed lightly as she helped her partner to her feet.

"Alright," she said. "I think we can all agree Weiss and Ruby won this round."

"Yeah, I guess so," her partner shrugged. "Guess this is my own victory in a way, though. I taught my little sis well in the art of snowball fights!"

Weiss canceled her glyph and the four girls met halfway through the battlefield. Ruby rushed to Blake and hugged her, snuggling into her scarf while the heiress dusted Yang off and kissed her cheek.

"Now you know better than to mess with me with my own element," she chided.

"Yeah, yeah..." Yang rolled her eyes. "Let's get back inside." She locked her arm around Weiss', and Blake did the same for Ruby as the four of them headed back inside, Zwei at their heels.

Once in the heated building, they shook themselves off, dislodging chucks of snow and ice from their boots, coats, and hair before heading back to the laundry room.

Weiss went to their dryers and began extracting the comforters, and Yang helped her carry two of them. Blake took the other two, and Ruby rushed to her and hugged the fabrics tightly.

"Ahhhh~ so waaaarm!" she sighed.

"I'll say," Blake agreed.

Fresh out of the dryer, the thick, warm comforters were ten times more heavenly to feel than any smaller clothes or materials. The Faunus girl closed her eyes for a moment, resting her cheek against the blankets as she felt Ruby do the same. They both might've fallen asleep right then and there if not for Weiss' wake-up call.

"Alright, let's get a move on. I think we could all do with a short nap after all of that."

"Short? Speak for yourself. Literally," Yang chuckled.

Weiss stepped on her foot.

They made their way back to the dorm room, hurrying just a little so the blankets wouldn't lose their heat too quickly. Ruby rushed to get the door and ushered them all inside where they all put their blankets and comforters down onto the beds. Zwei curled up on the floor and fell asleep almost instantly.

Weiss and Blake made it a point to make their beds properly, tucking in their sheets under the mattresses and laying out the comforters neatly. Whereas, the sisters struggled to climb up to their top bunks and make their beds look presentable. In fact, Yang didn't try for more than few seconds before she flopped down face-first with a long sigh.

"I can't go onnn..." she moaned.

"Idiot," Weiss sighed. "At least take off your coat and wet boots, for heaven's sake!"

"Come help meeee!"

"You're hopeless, making me come up there..."

Weiss shed her own coat and boots before begrudgingly going to the other beds. Yang helped haul her up to the top bunk where the heiress began unzipping the blonde's coat for her and untying her boots, muttering small, disapproving chastisements all the while.

Blake took the chance to remove her top layer of clothing and her scarf, leaving her in her pants and sweater. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking up when she noticed Ruby peeking at her from above.

"Yes?" she asked, already knowing her leader's question and her own answer to it.

Ruby wiggled around a little as she looked down from her bunk.

"Blake? Can I-"

"Of course."

"Yaaaay!" Ruby jumped down, shedding her hoodie and stepping out of her snow boots instantly before making a leap for Blake's bed. The Faunus girl caught her securely before she rolled onto her back, cradling the giggling girl happily.

The warm blankets beneath her back were still wafting heat, and although she and Ruby were still a bit chilly, they both knew that wouldn't last long.

Ruby propped herself up briefly to reach up and carefully untie Blake's bow, freeing her ears and putting the ribbon aside.

"Ah, they're so cold!" She slid up a bit and ran both hands over the chilly fur, rubbing quickly. Blake couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"That feels nice," she admitted.

"Heehee~" Ruby bent down to kiss her nose. "Let's go under the blankies to get super warm!"

Blake agreed, and the two girls sat up, lifting the comforters and sheets before crawling underneath. Ruby giggled and burrowed, not unlike Zwei had in the snow before.

The white sheets covered both girls completely, the warmth still strong as it surrounded them on all sides. Blake laid on her side and Ruby faced her, slipping her arms around the Faunus girl tightly.

"Ahhhhh~ so waaaarrmmm! Heh, the white sheets kinda make it seem like snow, except it's not cold at all!"

"Mmmm..." Blake's eyes had already closed. She'd always been weak to warmth, laundry particularly, and especially when it was the comforters. They didn't wash those often, so the few times they did were very big days for her.

And to be curling up in that warmth with her girlfriend after a long morning out in the snow...

Blake was fading fast.

And judging by the lack of bickering coming from above, she assumed Weiss and Yang had already succumbed to their exhaustion. They could get to their homework tomorrow.

But just before Blake allowed herself to slip away, a gentle nudge from Ruby had the Faunus girl reopening her eyes sleepily.

"Blake!" she whispered. "Before you go to sleep...~"

Ruby smiled up at her, also clearly tired but refusing to sleep until she had one last thing. Blake knew exactly what she wanted.

"Oh, right. How could I forget? Sorry."

She slid down slightly and held a long kiss to Ruby's plump lips. Ruby squealed and kissed back, squeezing Blake's back and curling her fingers through her long, dark hair.

When they parted, Ruby's cheeks were florid as she nestled herself into Blake's collar.

"Mmmm... Nighty night, Blake!"

"Goodnight."

It was only noontime, and they'd surely wake up within a few hours from their nap.

But for now...

Ruby sighed blissfully when she heard the beginnings of a purr rumble up in Blake's chest. It sounded like rolling marbles, games she used to play with Yang when they were kids. Ruby loved Blake's purr, and it always made her feel special to get to listen to it.

She snuggled closer, pressing her ear against the Faunus girl's collar, able to distinguish the soft thumping of her heart as well.

At last, they fell asleep together, with cold blankets of snow outside, and warm blankets around them inside.

A/N: These pairs are always fun to write. I hope you enjoyed and wish you happy holidays!

Please review!