Cold as Ice

Another fic. Pretty different from what I've posted so far. Starting to get in to this writing thing.

Anyway, couple things I should mention. One, Blake uses a form of the word "fiend." Giving credit to VnixxiR for that one. It just fits her so well. Two, this may become what I use as my "base" for fic ideas, as in I will add them on as extra chapters to this instead of posting something entirely new each time. It'll probably depend on how much deviation there is between the ideas and concepts of each chapter. I'll keep it marked as "in progress" just in case.

Enough about that, here's the fic. Not quite sure what to classify it as. Weiss/Blake friendship, Ruby/Weiss fluff I guess.

A fire crackled, casting a gloomy light over a small lounge. A girl with a jet-black bow set atop raven hair lay curled up on a couch, her face buried in a tattered old book. The room was quiet and still, aside from the occasional crackle and pop of the dancing flames. It was the girl's favorite situation, and she savored it all she could since moments like these were so few and far between. She enjoyed the people she shared the house with, but they were always so loud, even more so now with the red and white one's recent arguments. How they had ever ended up as a couple was beyond her, but she supposed that it was simply due to how much could have happened since they all first arrived here a year ago.

The front door swung open, blasting her with cold winter air and breaking her reverie. A figure wrapped in an overly expensive white overcoat entered, slamming the door behind her.

"Speak of the devil…." Blake muttered, annoyed that her peaceful atmosphere had once again been shattered. There was no doubt that Weiss was in a huff due to some inane action Ruby had done, and Blake knew she was about to get an earful about it.

"Childish. Immature. Pointless." Weiss said, speaking more to herself than Blake. "How dare she. So crude." Blake sighed, alerting Weiss to her presence and immediately regretting it. "You! How can you let her continue with such acts?"

Blake stayed silent, knowing from experience that it was often best to just let Weiss vent. She wasn't always like this; Weiss was actually pleasant to be around most days, but during her outbursts she fit the typical rich-girl persona almost too well. This subjected her to a lot of teasing by Yang, but Blake preferred to stay out of it. Though Weiss rarely spoke of it, Blake had guessed enough about her life before she came to Beacon to know that she was more scared than anything. Blake had a nagging suspicion that Weiss wasn't allowed to have friends growing up, which would explain her general lack of sociability, but also how devoted she was to her team.

After listening to Weiss pace in front of the couch and continue to rant for another minute, Blake got curious. "So, what fiendish acts has she dared to commit this time?" she asked, the slight tone of sarcasm in her voice betraying her.

Weiss glared at her. "She tried to hold my hand! In public! Doesn't she have any idea of what could happen if someone saw us? The shame!"

Blake strained to keep from rolling her eyes. It was actually kind of cute; she knew that Weiss would do anything for Ruby, except admit that she was willing to. But there was some truth to what she was saying, if Weiss' parents found out that she was doing anything that wasn't furthering her future career, she would be gone by morning. Blake found the situation a little sad, but she didn't think it entitled Weiss to act like she does.

"Don't you think that's a little unfair?" Blake asked calmly.

"What? Of course not! She knows…"

"Oh, come on, Weiss," Blake interrupted "she was just trying to show you that she cares. Maybe you're the immature one, you throw a fit every time something like this happens, and it breaks her heart. God knows what she sees in you, but the poor girl loves you, and you know that you love her too."

Weiss scowled, but did not retort. Blake gave her a few moments to let her message sink in. Weiss had her arms crossed so hard that she was shaking, and her scowl only grew wider when the first tear slid down her cheek. She sat down on the opposite side of the couch, and Blake could see that she was angrily trying to fight back the tears, but it was a losing battle. Blake let her be, knowing she would reject any attempts at comforting her. Not wanting to appear apathetic, she sat in respectful silence, watching over the pitiful sight of her friend. Weiss' tears were flowing freely now, and she curled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, burying her face inbetween.

Blake had never seen Weiss in this state before, and she doubted anyone other than maybe Ruby had. In quite the contrast to Ruby, Weiss was not one for wearing her emotions on her sleeve, but Blake thought it was good for her to finally let out whatever she had pent up. For all the flak she got for being the "Ice Queen," she really was just a scared little girl who didn't know how to show how much she cared for her friends.

Several minutes passed before Weiss' sobs began to subside, letting to room return to its previous state of calm. However, it did not last as the door opened once more and freezing air clawed its way inside, causing both girls to shiver. They both glanced at the culprit, and Weiss did a double take.

Ruby was clutching her cloak, keeping it tightly wrapped around her as she shivered, quickly closing the door behind her before turning to face the room. Blake could see glistening tear tracks frozen on her rosy cheeks, with fresh ones still emanating from her red and puffy eyes.

Weiss shot up from the couch, and Blake feared that she was going to start scolding her again. However, Weiss just stood there with her mouth open, any attempt at forming words being caught in her throat. Ruby remained where she was, and Blake couldn't tell if she was frozen from fear or defiance. The tension hung in the air until Weiss found her voice.

"Ruby." She said softly, almost a whisper. Before anyone had time to react, she closed the distance between them and flung her arms over Ruby's shoulders, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. Don't ever let me act like that again." Weiss murmured, making no effort to stop herself from crying. Ruby hugged her back, looking surprised. She looked at Blake questioningly, and all she got as an answer was a small smile.

Knowing it was time to take her leave, Blake silently snuck out of the room, leaving Ruby to care for the girl she loved.