I had the honor of doing an art/story trade with the amazingly talented kumafromtaiwan on tumblr! In return for drawing me a piece of amazing, incredible art, she requested I write a story based off her art found on her tumblr blog here (kumafromtaiwan,tumblr,com/post/91740365281/dancing) and here (kumafromtaiwan,tumblr,com/post/92136319911/continuation-of-dancing).
She's also the creator of the amazing Henceforward AU, and I've gotten to write a few fics for that AU in the past as well! I highly recommend all of her work!
Thank you again, Kuma, for doing this with meeee~!
A/N: I know I already have Dancing With Dunces and Whispers, but I did my best to make this one different and relevant to Kuma's lovely art~! And also, this was written before the canon reveal of Blake's sleep-deprivation, so there's no mention of that in here.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Enchanted
The day of the Vytal Festival's dance was a day when the students of Beacon - the hosting school - did not have any classes.
Aside from the few people who needed to set things up, most used that morning to sleep in and catch up on some much-needed rest in preparation for the dance that evening.
But the second the zealous, hyperactive leader of team RWBY opened her eyes at 8:34AM, there were slim chances that any of her teammates would get to sleep another minute.
Ruby gasped and her eyes went wide as she threw the blankets off of herself in one swift motion.
"It's today!" she cried, swinging her legs over the side of the elevated bunk bed and making the jump to the floor, landing with a thud. "It feels surreal, but it's today, it's today, the dance is todaaaaay!"
Weiss was next to wake, finding Ruby's bed still swinging above her from where her leader had jumped off. She quickly scrambled out of bed for fear Ruby's would come crashing down on top of her, holding a hand to her chest and letting out a sigh once she was out of immediate harm.
"Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you not to jump-"
"Weeeiiissss!" Ruby sang delightedly, rushing over to her partner. "Today's the dance, it's today!"
"I'm well-aware of that Ruby, but you need to understand the dangers of-"
"Eeeeek! Ohmigosh I can't wait! There are only ten more hours!"
Weiss heaved a sigh and closed her mouth; clearly there would be no reasoning with her leader this morning.
As Ruby continued to squeak and squeal and bounce around, Blake's ears soon started to flick about until her conscious came back to her, eyes blinking open groggily. Normally, she would have groaned at having been woken up so early on a day when she could have slept more, but there was no way she could stay grumpy when she awoke to the scene of her leader pulling the wrists of a certain heiress and trying to get her to dance right now.
Poor Weiss was stumbling after the younger girl, insisting that now was not the best time to be doing this due to Ruby's bursting energy level and Weiss' subdued one. Blake pushed herself up with a chuckle and decided to offer a hand.
"Ruby, why don't you hold off until later? You wouldn't want to spoil all of your charming dance moves now, would you?"
The brunette paused and looked up at the Faunus girl.
"Oh, uhh... y-yeah, you're right! Gotta keep all those cool moves a surprise! Thanks, Blake!" Ruby let go of her partner's hands with a slight blush on her face, and Weiss cast a grateful look over her shoulder to the Faunus girl.
Blake gave a small, dismissive wave of her hand before slipping out of bed, turning around to find their final teammate had yet to be roused even amidst all the commotion this morning. Grabbing her pillow, Blake took aim before tossing it up directly onto her partner's face.
Yang jolted awake with a disgruntled and slightly startled gasp which then turned into a whining groan.
"Ugh, god. Talk about a rude awakening..." she grumbled. "Scared the crap outta me..."
"Come on, Miss Every Hit Makes Me Stronger," Blake teased, lightly hitting her with the pillow again. "Get up so we can start preparing for the dance tonight."
The reminder of the evening's events seemed to do the trick.
"Oh, oh right!" She pushed Blake's pillow off of her face and sat up straight. "Wow, I can't believe it's tonight! Seems like just yesterday we were being told about the Festival in the first place."
"I know, I know!" her eager sister exclaimed. "Yang, I'm so excited! Come dance with meeee~!"
"Not just yet, lil' sis. Save all that energy for tonight." Yang ran a hand through her tangle of a disheveled mane of hair, giving her head a shake. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for dancing later."
"But for now-" Weiss went on. "-we should all head over to get some breakfast before the lines get unbearably long."
"Yeah, let's do that!" Ruby agreed. She started marching for the door before Weiss had to grab the collar of her tank top and drag her back.
"Not in your pajamas, you don't."
"Oh. Right."
Weiss could tell Ruby's excitement about the dance was going to be the most prominent thing on her mind today, which would likely lead to her being more preoccupied and forgetful than usual. The heiress was determined to keep an eye on her.
Yang jumped down from her bed and slung an arm lazily around Blake's shoulders.
"Doooesn't that scene just warm your heart?"
"It does," Blake agreed, turning her face to meet Yang's eyes. "But there's something else that does that even more."
Yang took the hint, and after making sure the other two were not watching, pulled Blake in for a brief kiss.
"There'll be more where that came from tonight~" the blonde promised.
"I look forward to it."
With the four of them roused now, they waited for their turns to freshen up in the bathroom.
Once they had all changed into their school uniforms, they set out on the hunt to get some breakfast.
After they had eaten, Weiss pulled her team outside the school building and to the Air Ship docking area.
Ruby instantly knew why.
"Oh, oh! Weiss, is this for-"
"Not only because of that, but also because the inside of the building is so congested and we could all do with some fresh air, no?"
"Aaaah~ omigosh I can't wait to seeee~!" She grabbed Weiss' hand and jumped up and down in excitement alongside her as the four of them continued to walk.
A few weeks back, students at Beacon were permitted to start ordering or renting dresses and suits from specified catalogs provided by the school staff. However, using her family name and a few connections, Weiss had gotten her team's attire from a rather pricey service. Of course she had gotten permission from the school first before going through with the orders.
They had only seen their clothes in pictures so far, and Ruby was clearly ecstatic to finally get to hold hers in her own two hands. Even Blake showed signs of mild interest as they headed for the platform, her bow flicking occasionally as though she were imaging herself dressed in what she had selected. Yang was more eager to see the rest of her team dolled up than herself, and she walked airily alongside her partner as she played with the images in her mind.
There were docks for Air Ships that carried people, and then for ones that carried cargo, and the team was bound for the latter.
"And it seems our Ship has just arrived," Weiss noted with a satisfied nod.
There was a craft swarming with people who were unloading what were clearly racks of clothing, all of which were quite fancy for the occasion they were intended for.
Yang "ooh'ed" and "aah'ed" at many of the pieces as they were rolled past, and even Blake murmured a few comments that displayed her liking of a few. Ruby was one to be more excited about weapons than clothes, but this was the one occasion where she found herself bouncing up and down.
"Which ones are ours, Weiss?"
"I'm looking..." The heiress kept her gaze fixated on each rack of clothing as they were brought out.
When at last she found what she was looking for, she held up a hand to indicate the rest of her teammates wait where they were before she went forward. She paused the man pushing a specific rack of dresses, shared a few words with him before showing him her receipt and identity to confirm she was the one who had paid for the clothes he was handling. He gladly handed her four clear bags that contained the proper attire, and before very much longer, Weiss returned to her teammates.
"Yang," she said, handing the blonde her bag.
Yang peeked inside, and mumbled a comment: "Hot damn."
Next, Weiss turned to the Faunus girl.
"Blake, this is yours. If it isn't the one you ordered, I'll have their heads."
She passed one of the bags to Blake, and the girl accepted it with a nod of thanks before looking inside.
"No. This is exactly what I wanted," she said with a smile.
"Good. Now then..." Weiss kept one of the remaining two bags beneath her arm before handing Ruby the other. "This is yours. Please don't drop it."
"I wooooon't!" Ruby promised and hugged the bag containing her dress to her. "Thank you, Weiss! Thank you, thank yoooou!"
"Don't mention it. This is a small price to pay for my teammates." She wore a proud smile. "And these are bought, not rented. Which means you may keep them."
Ruby squealed again and gave a delighted spin.
"This is gonna be the best night ever!"
Weiss felt her lips curling up into a smirk; Ruby's smile was worth every cent and then some.
Yang was grinning too as she watched the two of them.
"God, they're so cute," she murmured to Blake before raising her voice a bit. "Here, partner. Hold this for me, will ya?" She handed Blake her dress for a minute.
"Sure. But what for?" the Faunus girl asked, tilting her head. Yang gave her a toothy, crooked smile.
"I think our princess deserves some thanks, don't you?" With a wink, she went over to the unsuspecting heiress and plucked the bag from between her fingers, tossing that to Blake as well as Weiss gave an indignant squeak.
"Y-Yang? What are you doing-"
"Three cheers for good ol' Weissy!" With that chant, Yang dipped down to scoop Weiss into her arms and proceeded to throw her up into the air. "Hip, hip, horaaay!" she cheered.
Weiss shrieked as she was made airborne, only to fall back down into Yang's arms and be tossed up all over again.
"YANG XIAO LONG PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
"Yang, be niiice!" Ruby scolded her playfully.
But Blake could sense the danger much better than the sisters.
"Yang, you really should-"
But it was already too late. The next time Yang caught Weiss in her arms, she got a devastating headbutt to her forehead.
"Haha, yowch! Okay, okay, fine." She let Weiss down, and it took both Ruby and Blake holding her back to prevent any potential bloodshed.
Once the heiress had calmed down enough for her teammates to let her go, she smoothed out her uniform and skirt, muttering under her breath all the while.
"Aww, c'mon, Weiss!" Yang slid in beside her, still rubbing her forehead a bit. "We just wanted to say thanks is all!"
"Then you can say it normally!" she huffed.
"Okay!" Ruby bounded up next to her and took both of her hands in hers. "Thank you again, Weiss!"
"Yes," Blake agreed with a kind smile. "Thank you."
Finally, Yang gave a firm pat to the heiress' shoulder.
"Thanks, Weiss."
The white-haired girl found it hard to look them all in the eyes, knowing her own face was bright red. She ducked her head and put a hand over her mouth as Ruby uttered a soft "awww!"
Weiss took her bag of clothing from Blake and started off back toward Beacon, but not before mumbling a few more words to her teammates:
"You're welcome."
It took all three of the older girls on the team to persuade Ruby from changing into her dress the very second they got back to their dorm room.
Weiss insisted she wait at least until after they had eaten lunch so she could lessen the chances of getting stains on the material.
The hours until then passed slowly, and the four of them engaged themselves in easygoing activities such as reading, lounging, or cleaning up the room.
At last they went to lunch, and Ruby all but wolfed it down despite Weiss' warnings that she might get a stomachache later; the girl just wanted to put her dress on.
When at last they finished eating at the cafeteria, the four of them found themselves back in their room at present, Ruby with her hands clasped together in front of Weiss as she begged.
"Please, please, pleeeease can I put it on nowww?"
Weiss checked the time; they only had a few hours left until the dance was to begin, and so long as they did not partake in any strenuous activities, there were not many ways Ruby could damage her clothes.
The heiress thought for a moment, putting a finger to her chin before she nodded.
"Very well. Just make sure you don't-"
"Eeeeek~! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Weeeiissss!" Ruby cut off whatever her partner had been about to say and squished her into a tight hug before zipping over to her bed, grabbing her dress, and then disappearing into the bathroom, a trail of rose petals floating behind her.
"Dunce," Weiss mumbled.
Blake put her book aside, ready to focus on her leader's appearance once she emerged. Yang came up beside Weiss and tilted her head to bonk against hers lightly.
"Y'know Ruby's enthralled about all this. She never would've been ten or five or even two years ago. But... you do know it's not... really the dress she's most excited about, right?"
"I'm well-aware," Weiss mumbled. "It's my reaction she's eager for."
"And she's only so excited about tonight because she gets to be with you like this."
"I know. I'm not an idiot, Yang. You think I haven't noticed the way she looks at me?"
"Oh-ho, so you do know~!"
"Of course I do!" Weiss grunted. "It's just that... well, usually we're worrying about classes or fighting or tracking down enemies. Tonight's a good opportunity to focus on more personal matters."
Yang was silent for a moment, clearly a bit surprised that Weiss had known about Ruby's crush on her all along.
Weiss noticed and took offense. "What? You honestly thought I was as dense as Jaune?"
"Uuuh-"
"If you value having the feeling in your toes, I suggest you don't answer that," Weiss growled. "But really. It's quite obvious."
"But the question is," Blake spoke up from her spot on her bed. "How do you feel about her?"
"Oh, the same way you feel about Yang," Weiss smirked.
The comment elicited a dark blush from Blake, and she put a hand to her mouth. Yang almost fell over beside the heiress who turned back to her with a smug grin.
"What? Did you two really think you were that inconspicuous with your affections? Maybe you've succeeded in keeping your kisses out of sight of Ruby – the girl's got a thousand other things to occupy her mind, mostly sweets. But I'll have you know I've been onto you two for weeks now." Weiss pointed a finger at Yang then Blake and back again. "I appreciate that you've tried to keep it hidden, but to be blunt, you haven't been doing a very good job."
"Ahaha..." Yang put a hand behind her head with a sheepish laugh. She looked hopelessly up at Blake. "Guess we were found out."
"It's because you're always so obvious," Blake accused her good-naturedly. "What with the way you're always fawning over me."
"Well that's because you're a Faunus!"
"Yang-"
"Oh my god-"
"C'mon, you set yourself up for that one."
"In any case..." Weiss sighed, pressing two fingers to her temple. "I'll be sure to handle tonight with delicacy."
"Good to hear," Yang nodded with approval. "But just so you know, if you break my little sister's heart, I might have to break a few things of your, princess."
"Yang..." Blake said in a warning tone.
"No, it's fine, Blake." Weiss held up a pacifying hand to her. "If I end up hurting Ruby tonight, I deserve it. If something like that happens, it'll be due to my own incompetence. I'll accept my punishments."
"Or your pun-ishment-"
"Yang."
"Sorry!" She smacked a hand to her lips.
Blake let out a long sigh.
"I might rethink dating you..."
"Nooooo!" Yang whined and went to her partner's bed, wrapping Blake in a hug.
"Calm down. It was a joke."
"Not a very good one!"
"Neither are yours."
"Ouch."
Weiss rolled her eyes as she watched the two. Then, her gaze darted back to the bathroom door, wondering why it was taking Ruby so long to change. She imagined the girl twirling around in front of the mirror and admiring her appearance, forgetting that she actually needed to come out.
But not a minute later - just before she could call out to her partner and make sure she was alright - she got her answer as to why Ruby was so tardy.
"Yaaang?"
A familiar, tentative voice called out, and said blonde perked up instantly.
"Ruby? What is it, sis?"
There was a brief silence as they waited, and a bit of shuffling could be heard before the reply came:
"Can you... waah can you help meeee? I think I'm stuck..."
Yang released Blake and stood up, putting her hands to her chest.
"Awww, my baby sis will always be my baby sis!" she gushed.
"I'm not a baby!" Ruby protested.
"Oh? Then I guess you don't need my help?" Yang smirked.
Blake and Weiss had to swallow down their chuckles as silence ensued yet again.
"Yang, no... wait. Please?"
"Ooooh, don't worry, Rubbles~ Big Sis Yang is coming to the rescuuuue!"
"Don't call me thaaat!"
The playful bickering continued as Yang crossed the room and slipped into the bathroom before closing the door.
The remaining two girls made eye contact before letting out simultaneous sighs.
"What are we getting ourselves into with those two?" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I'm both slightly nervous and very excited to find out," Blake replied, making room for Weiss and inviting her to sit at the foot of the bed. Weiss nodded her thanks and did just that. Once the heiress was beside her, Blake lowered her voice a little.
"So do you have any specific ideas you want to go through in order to get closer to Ruby tonight? I mean, you don't exactly have to win her over or anything – she's basically already yours. You've just got to make it clear you feel the same about her. But it's still good to have a plan."
Weiss' silence afterward told Blake she had considered as much before.
"I have a few things in mind," she said quietly. "But I was planning to take Pyrrha's advice and let the chips fall where they may. It worked for her, after all."
"It did," Blake acknowledged. "So you plan to just go with the circumstances?"
Weiss considered for a moment.
"I don't really have many other choices," the heiress shrugged. "If anything, I'm confident about my ability to read a situation and react accordingly. It'll be tricky, but if I can get the timing right, I'm sure it'll work out in both of our favors."
"I see." Blake nodded thoughtfully.
However secretly, she was beginning to hatch a plan of her own to help speed things along between Weiss and Ruby. But she could enact that later.
Because now, the bathroom door was opening.
They heard Yang's voice first and foremost:
"Oh my goooosh~! Ruby, you're the cutest thing ever!"
"Sh-Shut up! You're treating me like a kid!"
Blake's ears perked up with interest as the sisters emerged, and she did not miss the sharp intake of breath on Weiss' part.
Their leader's dress was layers upon layers of crimson ruffles, from the single strap at her left shoulder all the way down to her ankles where two heeled shoes of a matching color covered her feet. From her fingertips to her elbows were red gloves, two long, draping pieces of material hanging off of each for show. Overall, it gave off a childish impression, but accented her mature figure perfectly.
Her face was as red as the rest of her as she finally revealed herself to her non-familial teammates, hands fumbling together nervously.
"So... how does it look?"
Blake was the first to recover.
"It looks lovely, Ruby."
"Th-Thanks!" came the almost sheepish reply.
Her eyes then traveled to Weiss where she sat on the bed just in front of Blake.
The Faunus girl realized the heiress had failed to breathe since Ruby stepped out, and she quickly nudged her side to snap her out of her trance.
"Ah- yes." Weiss straightened up and cleared her throat. "It looks very nice. A good choice, Ruby."
She wanted to say more, but perhaps later when they could be alone.
Ruby felt she could live with that compliment, and a smile curled her lips.
"Thanks, Weiss!" she beamed. "Okay, now you guys need to get changed! I wanna see everyone!"
"I'll go next," Blake offered. But just before she got up from her bed, she mumbled teasingly into Weiss' ear, "Deep breaths."
Weiss sent a small glare after her, but she could not argue with Blake, because once she realized how quickly her heart was beating, she indeed made sure to inhale deeply.
Blake gathered her clothes before disappearing into the bathroom.
"Theeen, in the meantime," Yang hummed. "Lemme fix you up a bit, sis!"
"Huh? Like with what?"
"Makeup!"
"What? Nonononoooo eewww!" The youngest girl protested and struggled feebly as Yang dragged her over to a chair and sat her down.
"Don't worry! It'll just be a little bit! Nothing to cover up your natural beauty."
"Yaaaaaang!"
As the two sisters went about with their antics, Weiss thought about how she wanted to go through this night, the things she wanted to make sure happened.
She could envision it all perfectly, how she would ask Ruby to dance with her, and then somewhere along the lines - when they could not be overheard - would tell her just how beautiful she looked, and with that hopefully make her affections clear.
She was just finishing up the night in her mind when the bathroom door opened, and out stepped Blake.
Rather than a dress, she wore long black dress pants and black shoes, and a purple button-up shirt was covered by a black tailcoat. She left her hair down and her ribbon on, and pulled on the last bit of her outfit, which were black gloves.
Yang and Ruby had looked up from their struggle for an instant to admire her.
"Wow, Blake!" Ruby exclaimed. "You look really good!"
"Snazzy!" Yang commented. "I mean wow, that look is purrfect for you!"
"Thanks..." Blake nodded, ignoring the joke. "I'm just not sure what to do with my hair."
Weiss gave her input for that.
"Leave it. This sort of outfit would look best if you left it down rather than constricting it."
Blake considered for a moment before she agreed.
"Alright." She headed back over to the bed and sat down in front of the heiress, noticing Weiss still had not moved, and she knew right away the heiress had been losing herself in fantasies of how the night would play out between herself and Ruby.
But Blake had her own ideas.
"Allllrighty!" Yang finally stepped back to let her sister free. "All done! That wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"Nnnn!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister.
"Wow, so mature, sis."
Weiss looked up to discover she could hardly tell the difference of Ruby's appearance now in contrast to what it had been minutes before, at least for her skin. The most noticeable thing now was a rose that had been tucked in her hair; she assumed Ruby's semblance had shed a few petals in her efforts to keep Yang away from her, and the elder of the two had taken the liberty to construct a full flower from the remains and put it to good use.
Yang crossed the room to gather her clothes and gave a salute. "Guess I'm next~" She slipped into the bathroom with a wave.
Ruby scurried over to Weiss' bed to sit across from the other two girls, getting a closer look at Blake's outfit.
"It's super cool, Blake!"
"Not so fast," Weiss snapped.
"What's the problem?" Blake asked amusedly.
"There's fuzz all over it. Hold still."
With a look of great concentration on her face, Weiss began to pluck off shreds of fuzz from Blake's back and sides.
"Weiss, it's fine."
"It's not! No teammate of mine is going to go out to this dance with debris all over herself!"
"Debris..." Blake hid her mouth behind her hand as she laughed.
But her chuckle was cut short as the bathroom door opened. It was Blake's turn to blush.
Yang's dress was almost criminal; strapless, it highlighted her figure very generously. Milky yellow in color, it was layered almost like Ruby's, going all the way down to the floor to conceal her matching shoes. A yellow bow was tied around her waist, and like her sister and partner she wore matching gloves. There was also a small necklace at her throat that held a white gemstone and drew the eye to her flawless collar.
But nothing compared to the tumble of cascading waves of her golden hair, flowing beautifully all down her back to her hips and beyond.
Blake had known her partner had ordered a dress, but she had not actually seen it until now, and it was leaving her speechless.
Ruby was the first to jump up.
"Oh my goooosh! Yang, you're so prettyyy!" She ran across the room to hug her sister joyously.
Weiss did not miss the flicker of motion beneath Blake's bow and knew her ears were drooping; she could almost read the Faunus girl's thoughts of how she wanted to be able to hug Yang like that, too.
Weiss got to have a bit of revenge for all of Blake's teasing of her earlier and nudged her teammate's side.
"Deep breaths," she whispered. If there was some feasible way to pull off a tone of good-natured snark, Weiss did it then. She could see Blake was stiff as a board and gave a pat to her shoulder. "Come now, you've got to get used to it."
"Right..." Blake swallowed, feeling her heart thumping wildly in her throat as she made eye contact with her partner. "You look amazing, Yang. Really."
"Aw, shucks, Blakey. You're gonna make me blush!"
"You're telling me..." the Faunus girl muttered.
It was then Ruby pulled away from her sister and directed her full attention to Weiss.
"Your turn, Weiss! You can't just sit in your uniform while the rest of us are lookin' all fancy!"
"I'm going," Weiss grunted as she stood. She certainly did pale in comparison to each of them as she was now, and hurriedly gathered her change of clothes. "It's nothing spectacular, so don't expect as much."
"You're gonna look great either way!" Ruby reassured her.
Weiss dipped her head before her cheeks could start getting red again, and she swiftly went into the bathroom.
Blake realized that it had come time for her tactics to come into play.
She stood, albeit a bit shakily, as she was still recovering from the stunning sight of her partner in her dress.
"Ruby," she called out. "Would you mind helping me with a practice dance?"
"Huh? Oh, sure! A-Actually this'd be a great idea cause I... kinda need to learn."
"Then this is perfect." Blake went over to the younger girl and took her hand. She caught Yang's eye from over their leader's shoulder, and the brawler instantly knew what her partner was up to.
Weiss had said she had her own plans of addressing hers and Ruby's feelings tonight. But what better way to start than to give her a bit of a push?
The Faunus girl guided Ruby's hand up to her shoulder and then slipped her own arm around her back. "Just follow my lead."
"Y-Yeah! Okay."
Blake led her in small circles around the room, easily pulling her along. Ruby found it was not nearly as difficult as she had initially thought it would be. Her feet naturally followed Blake wherever she brought her, and she looked comfortably up into her eyes.
Yang leaned against the wall to watch the two, smiling as they moved about the room, hardly able to wait for Weiss' reaction. Thankfully, she did not have to wait long.
Weiss was dressed in very much the same clothes as Blake, only it was a white version from head to toe, and she left her hair in its usual ponytail. The only difference was a small, red bow tie at the front of her chest, a subtle indication as to whom her other half was on this momentous occasion.
All her life until she made it to Beacon, she had been attending balls and banquets for her family, always having to adorn lavish dresses and gowns.
But overall, she would call her appearance tonight plain – but that was her intent. Tonight was not about her, it was about Ruby, and when people saw them, their eyes would naturally be drawn to the younger girl's charming form.
The heiress stepped out of the bathroom, expecting her three teammates to be seated to judge how she looked.
So naturally, when she found Blake dancing with her partner, Weiss started to fume.
"What's going on?" she demanded of Yang, though her eyes stayed focused on the carefree duo.
"You're too slow, that's what~" Yang chuckled.
This was Blake's method of making Weiss jealous, and it was working like a charm. Weiss never even realized she was falling directly into the dark-haired girl's trap.
She caught the Faunus's eye, and Blake sent a devilish smirk her way; in addition to being meant to make Weiss jealous, it was also a means of revenge for Weiss' teasing of her earlier about Yang.
Weiss knew it was Yang's trademark to suddenly have her entire body erupt into flames, but at that moment, the heiress felt she might do it too, only perhaps with ice. Her breath was icy cold and slightly frosted over, and it made Yang shiver when the white-haired girl muttered under her breath:
"You might want to call a hearse for your fox of a partner."
"Geez, what are you gonna do to her?!" Yang yelped. The 'make Weiss jealous' plan may have been working a little too well.
At last, Blake spun herself and Ruby so the girl could catch sight of her partner.
"Oh~ Weiss you're finished changing!" As soon as she saw her, Ruby slipped away from Blake without a second thought and hurried over to the heiress - that made Weiss feel a bit better. Ruby looked her up and down. "You look great, Weiss! Really, wow!" She felt a blush coming on as she looked her over again.
Blake sauntered over with her arms crossed nothing short of condescendingly.
"Not bad, heiress," she remarked.
"Not bad yourself, Belladonna," Weiss retorted.
Seeing Blake dancing so effortlessly with Ruby had certainly succeeded to encourage the heiress to speed things along.
But before the sparks could begin to fly between the two girls, Yang came over and slung one arm around Weiss and the other around Blake, and somehow managed to get Ruby into the mix as well as she pulled them all to her.
"Awww, look at us! All grown up and lookin' so pretty!"
The unexpected and crushing embrace left all three girls wheezing.
"Yang-"
"My neck-"
"I can't breathe-"
"Aww, you guys are the best team anyone could ever have!" Ignoring their pleas for help, Yang pulled each of them in and smooched the top of their heads, starting with Weiss and then Ruby before letting them both go. The kiss she offered Blake was to the cheek instead, and she kept her partner close to her side after that. "So what say you all to headin' on down to the ballroom?"
Ruby fanned herself with the draping material on her gloves until she got her breath back, and Weiss fixed her posture and hair as she glanced at the time.
"Yes," she sighed. "Let's get going."
"Yaaay!" Ruby gave a bounce and immediately clung to her arm. Weiss cleared her throat pointedly and began leading the way out the door and down the hall.
Yang slipped her elbow around Blake's and held to her arm in a similar fashion to Ruby, though with less of the death-grip. The hallways were bustling with students, dressed up in suits and gowns, nails that were usually plain were painted, hair that was usually tied was down and curly or slicked back. On the surface level, there was a much more mature air about the place.
The four girls made their way to the ballroom where banners and decorations hung on the walls. They were already attracting quite a bit of attention, and the murmurs that went up as eyes flicked their way were numerous.
They stopped at the entranceway for a moment to admire the sight of the ballroom, alive with well-dressed students, the lighting somewhat dim, but various smaller lights provided more than enough illumination to see by.
As Ruby marveled at it all, Weiss leaned over to where a nearby table was giving away flowers to attendees for free. The heiress did not have to think twice before she selected a red rose, and quickly slipped it into an inside pocket of her jacket.
"Wow..." Ruby was still in awe. "It's so big... And there are so many people..." She gulped, still unblinking. Weiss nudged her a step forward.
"Come on. Not getting cold feet, now are you?"
"N-No."
"Then let's go."
"B-But..." Ruby fell silent.
Yang quickly interjected. "Well then, Blake and I will head inside. You guys just come find us whenever you're ready, okay?"
Blake nodded and led her partner into the ballroom, eager to give the other two some alone time, trusting Weiss could handle it.
The white-haired girl watched them go before she directed her full attention onto her leader.
"What's the matter? Do you not feel well?"
Ruby shuffled her feet, still clinging to Weiss' arm.
"Not really? Well, a little bit. Gah, I don't know, I'm just nervous!" she confessed.
"What's there to be nervous about? We're all students here. You're the fearless leader of team RWBY, remember?"
"W-Well yeah, but... I'm okay with fighting and stuff, but dancing isn't really my kinda thing." And it was hardly the hundreds of other people present that were making her nervous; it was just the girl in front of her.
Weiss placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Just take it slowly. If you still don't feel well after a little while, just tell me and we can take a break, get some fresh air. I'll be with you the whole time, so there's nothing to worry about, okay?"
"...Okay..."
She said as much, but in Ruby's mind, there was plenty to worry about. Her biggest concern was being an embarrassment to Weiss.
The older girl sighed with a hopeless smile.
"Come on, then. I think I see a table of sweets over there."
"Wow, really?"
Amazing how quickly that changed her mood.
Weiss led her partner through the crowds, moving slowly and carefully, ensuring Ruby did not stumble in her heels. She heard every suggestive whisper, and saw every hungry look directed Ruby's way, and Weiss sent silent daggers at them all with her eyes, occasionally letting out a misted, frigid breath that had them running off with tails between their legs.
She slipped one arm around Ruby's back protectively, sending out a clear message to everyone else present: "She's mine."
The music playing now had a lively beat, something Weiss felt was more Yang's style than her own, so she was not terribly upset to miss dancing to it. Instead, she focused on her task of getting Ruby safely through the mass of ravenous students to the designated table.
Indeed, there was food being given out there in addition to drinks, and with her keen nose, Ruby quickly and expertly snuffed out the sugary sweets.
Weiss had just finished glaring away a pair of boys when she heard the girl's peppy voice.
"Ooooh~" Ruby squealed as she picked up a cookie and started to nibble. "These are so yummy!"
"I'm glad. Just don't eat too many, or you really will get sick."
"I wooon't~"
To Weiss, it did not seem like Ruby was ready to dance just yet, and quite honestly, the heiress was not feeling up to it either. The room was congested with swaying, bouncing bodies, and the heat was palpable. The lighting was odd, and the boisterous atmosphere served to make Weiss a bit dizzy.
She stuck close to Ruby for a while, contenting herself with looking into the crowd to catch glimpses of some familiar figures. Weiss recognized a dozen miscellaneous students she had seen before in classes or in passing in the hallways, but a few in particular stood out.
It was hard not to take note of Pyrrha in her gorgeous scarlet dress, her hair slightly curled. She put Jaune to shame easily, and Weiss rolled her eyes at the way the bumbling idiot kept trying to prove he did not have two left feet as he danced with her – or at least tried to.
Not too far off, Ren wore a suit similar to that of his leader's, though his date's attire was very different from Pyrrha's slim gown; Nora's dress was pink and wide with ruffles, a small, golden crown resting atop her head.
Seeing even such odd pairs as those four getting along just fine gave Weiss a new wave of confidence.
But before she could act and speak up to Ruby, a familiar pair dressed in black and yellow approached them.
"Whoo-wee!" Yang exclaimed. "I need a drink!"
"Did you two already dance?" Weiss wondered as Yang went to the table.
"Not much," Blake replied. "We mostly just walked around a bit. I think she just wanted to check on Ruby."
"Does she think I'm incapable of taking care of her?" Weiss grumbled, offended.
"I'm sure that's not it," Blake reassured her. "She just can't help but worry."
The Faunus girl went to her partner's side and also picked up a small glass filled with juice to refresh herself.
The music changed a few minutes later, to something a bit more reserved - pianos rather than drums - and Blake turned back to make eye contact with Weiss. They nodded, their gazes sharing silent messages.
Blake went to Yang and took her hand, bowing slightly as she kissed the back of her knuckles.
Weiss pulled out the rose she had concealed, hiding it behind her back as she found one of Ruby's hands, pulling her attention away from the cookie in her other.
They got the sisters' attention and asked the question in unison:
"May I have this dance?"
Yang was flattered by the display Blake was putting on, and she quickly took the finishing sip of her drink before placing down the empty glass.
"You most certainly may."
As if there was any other answer she would give.
Ruby, however, was a bit less elegant with her reply. For her to see Weiss bowing over like that and kissing her hand-
She choked a little bit on the last bite of her cookie and smacked her free hand against her chest.
"I uh, waaah W-Weiss-"
"You dunce. Don't choke."
"I'm not trying to!" she whined.
"Just answer the question."
Once Ruby got her bearings back and her blush under control, she made sure her voice was loud and clear, despite how nervous and shaky she still was.
"Y-Yeah. Let's dance, Weiss."
Weiss straightened up with a smile.
"Splendid."
She led Ruby out into the crowd, trying to find a spot where they could have enough space to move comfortably. Blake and Yang were not far behind them, but when they stopped, they made sure to keep a bit of distance just for privacy's sake.
To start, Weiss revealed the rose she had kept hidden up until this point.
"Its petals aren't nearly as nice as those your semblance can produce, but it's something."
Ruby's eyes were alight with joy.
"Wooow, Weiss it's so pretty! Thank you!" Ruby accepted the flower, tucking the stem into her hair along with the one Yang had placed there earlier.
"Now then..."
Weiss took her partner's right hand in her left, placing her free hand on Ruby's hip.
The younger girl just then seemed to realize that she was actually going to be dancing with Weiss now. She swallowed, trying to jog her memory and remember how she had done this with Blake. Her mind was suddenly a blur, but she remembered to lift her free hand and place it on Weiss' shoulder. She smiled a little, having completed step one.
But the second Weiss began to move, Ruby yelped.
"W-Wait, I'm not readyyy!"
"Aww, Ruby!" Yang called out to her from where she was holding onto Blake several feet away. "You just told Weiss you'd dance with her! Are you really gonna shoot her down now?"
"N-No, that's not what I-"
"Ruby." Weiss' voice was calm, and Ruby peeked up at her as she went on. "It's alright if you want to wait a bit."
"N-No!" she squeaked. "I can do it!"
"But you just said-"
"I can do iiiit!" she said again, as though repeating it would make it true.
"If you say so..."
The din of the ballroom went down a little bit with the calmer music playing now, and Ruby did her best to let the atmosphere rub off on her. She took a deep breath and nodded to Weiss, who then began to move once more.
She went slowly, but that did not stop Ruby from stumbling multiple times within the first minute alone, misplacing her feet almost every other step, which resulted in her heels digging into the tops of Weiss' shoes. The heiress bit her lip quickly and swallowed a curse at the sudden pain.
"S-Sorry!" Ruby piped up.
"It's fine," Weiss murmured, continuing their dance.
And it was fine, the first four times, because those were bearable. It was after the fifth time Ruby crushed one of her feet that Weiss needed to pause for a moment and rest her head on Ruby's shoulder to bite back another curse.
"I'm sorry!" Ruby whimpered, hugging Weiss lightly.
There was a snicker from behind her.
"Watch out Ruby~!" Yang called out. "Stop stomping on her feet, or else Weiss'll get even shorter!"
"Excuse me?!" Weiss snapped.
"Waaah, I'm really sorry, Weiss!" Ruby apologized for the umpteenth time. "I'll give you a massage when we get back tonight!"
"It's fine..." Weiss grunted, curling her toes in her shoes to try and fight off the tingles of pain. "We'll just go slower. Watch your feet, you dolt."
"Right!"
Weiss started to move again, and Ruby was glad to have an excuse not to look directly up at her; whenever she made eye contact was when she would end up stepping on Weiss' shoes.
Yang rolled her eyes at how hopelessly smitten her sister was while Blake blinked in confusion as she watched the two of them.
"I don't get it," the Faunus girl murmured. "Ruby was fine when she danced with me, so why is she tripping up so much now?"
Yang grinned amusedly.
"Because now she's dancing with Weiss."
Even from this distance, they could both clearly see Ruby's heavy blush, her entire face a florid red. She tried to look up at Weiss again, but could not manage to find the confidence just yet, so she kept her eyes trained on her feet to make sure not to hurt her again.
"See~?" Yang sang. "My lil' sis is sooo cuuuuute~!"
"Yeah," Blake chuckled.
Ruby had heard the comment and sent a mortified look at her sister.
"Yaaang, you meanie! Leave me aloooone!"
"Sorry, baby sis!" she cooed.
But then, Yang's eyes went back to find Blake's. "She's right though. She'll be fine with Weiss. Instead-" she leaned in to breathe a husky whisper into Blake's human ear. "I wanna focus on you."
Blake sucked in a quick breath, earning a small laugh from Yang.
"Oh come on, Blakey. Don't get nervous on me now." The blonde bumped her head affectionately against hers.
"Shut up, Yang."
Blake led her along to the beat of the music, a slow pace in contrast to the beat of her rapid heart. It did not slip by Yang that her partner was blushing no matter how much Blake tried to hide it.
Wanting to have a bit of fun, the blonde leaned in, wrapping her arm tighter around Blake's shoulders, bringing them closer. From this distance, she could smell Blake's plum perfume easily, and likewise, Blake's lungs filled with the scent of citrus. She moved with a bit more vigor, feeling Yang's eagerness to get lost in the motions with her.
Blake took the lead, keeping one hand in Yang's as the other went around the small of her back. Her fingers curled through her soft hair, and Blake took care not to tug at it by accident. Their hips swayed in tune with the music, and Yang followed every step, every twirl.
It was a simple feat to forget the rest of the world, to get swept away in the enchanting air of it all. The lighting from above caused Yang's dress to glow golden, her luscious hair alight like the gentle flames of a tranquil sunset.
Blake only stumbled once then when she got a bit too preoccupied and forgot to take her eyes off of Yang long enough to measure her steps. She tripped a little, and Yang just managed to steady her.
"Whoa, there!" She held tightly to Blake until she found her balance again. "You okay, partner?"
"Yeah... sorry," Blake murmured, bringing Yang closer and meeting her lavender eyes directly. "You're just so damn gorgeous." She spoke with such surety and clarity that it left Yang stammering for once.
"Aw, Blake, n-no fair, heh. You're gonna make me blush."
"Good." Blake slowed their dancing pace and brought them to a stop. She let go of Yang's hand only to slide her fingers up the brawler's arm and then down her side to her waist. "You're even prettier when you blush," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against hers.
Yang's hands went to her partner's shoulders, and she rubbed her back gently, breathing in her scent. The girl's onyx hair was highlighted with silver, shining like starlight. She brought her close, able to feel Blake's pulse which was a little quick.
"You're so cute, Blakey," Yang whispered to her. "Take a break, huh? Let me lead ya."
Blake rested her chin on Yang's shoulder quietly, and the blonde took the hint to take over. She slid her arms down to Blake's waist as well, leaning forward into her. She kept it slow and simple, just moving from side to side, focusing on their proximity rather than the motions now.
The music stayed on slower songs, and the pairs around them were all bringing down the excitement level a bit as well to focus on their respective partners. Yang and Blake continued in this way for a while, until the blonde made a soft request.
"Hey, it's been like, five minutes since I got to see your pretty face," she complained moving back a step. Keeping one palm on Blake's hip, she moved the other to cup her face, pulling her partner back a little so their eyes could meet.
Blake's were deep gold in the lighting, faintly misted over, and Yang was convinced it was the most alluring and mystifying color she had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Blake was lost in her partner's eyes as well, silently swimming in lilac pools.
Their eyes shared a message their mouths did not need to speak.
Their lips came together softly, and it felt good not to have to do this in secrecy anymore.
Blake pulled back for air briefly to admire Yang's blissful expression.
"You're illegally gorgeous."
"Then aren't you lucky?" Yang hummed smugly. She leaned in for another kiss, a more fiery one, feeling Blake's embrace on her tighten and reciprocating accordingly.
They continued to dance slowly, sharing kisses and soft murmurs all the while.
Not far off, Ruby had finally gotten over her nervousness as much as she would be able to. She had not stepped on Weiss' shoes for over five full minutes, and happily followed the heiress' lead.
Once she had gained more confidence in herself, she decided to have a bit of fun. She pulled out the rose Weiss had given her from her hair and place it between her teeth. Weiss halted for a moment, unable to hold back a laugh.
"What are you doing, you dunce?"
"Y'know..." Ruby mumbled around the stem of the flower. "Like in those old, classy movies!"
"Then I hope you know how to tango."
The music was still a bit upbeat at this point, so she led Ruby around the area of space they had claimed. She twirled her, dipping her down and pulling her back up, and Ruby kept pace with her perfectly. Weiss was glad to see Ruby was no longer so nervous she could hardly move, and her own feet could move much easier now that they were not being stepped on.
They moved in time with the music, only vaguely aware of the people dancing around them; their focus was mainly on one another.
Before long, Weiss was no longer leading – they both moved together in perfect sync, able to predict the other's movements before they happened. Their eyes stayed locked when they were close, only breaking contact when Weiss would step back and spin her, and a few times Ruby positioned herself to have Weiss do the same.
They danced just like they fought battles, en rapport and in a manner that clearly displayed their chemistry. It was natural to follow the other, to match her speed and listen to her unspoken words, feel the way her body was going to move so they could react appropriately.
After a few minutes, the music began to slow, and the girls did as well, but not before Ruby plucked the rose from her mouth in order to laugh heartily. She then slipped the flower into the top of Weiss' ponytail, beside her tiara, and pulled the heiress a bit closer to herself, so Ruby could hide her face as they caught their breaths.
"That was really fun, Weiss! It was magical!"
"We aren't finished yet," she reminded her.
Weiss brought them to a slower pace, briefly taking note of Yang and Blake doing the same not far off. This was a song that called for slowness and closeness rather than movement, and the heiress was suddenly very aware of Ruby pressed against her. She realized this would be the most appropriate time to speak to her leader about their relationship.
Thinking about it left Weiss apprehensive, and she went stiff, feeling her heart pound harder. Being so close to her, Ruby quickly took note of this, and stepped back a little to look up at her.
"Weiss? Are you okay?" she asked quietly, a little concerned.
"I'm just fine..." Weiss murmured, shaking her head. She took a deep breath, trying less to think about this and just do it, just speak whatever came to her without fretting about it. When she met Ruby's eyes, she could tell her partner was getting nervous again, and Weiss wanted to prevent that if she could. "I was just... wanting to ask you something," the heiress said softly, keeping one hand around Ruby's and the other on her hip.
The younger girl blinked slowly up at her.
"Sure, Weiss. Anything."
She trusted Weiss entirely.
The older girl gave a tiny smile.
"Did you have fun tonight?" she wondered.
"Yeah!" Ruby replied immediately. "It all felt like it went too quickly because I was having such a good time!"
"That's good," Weiss nodded. "Then... did you like dancing with me?"
"Yeah!" Ruby nodded again. "That was the most fun part of it all! I love dancing with you, Weiss!" It was like a dream come true to her; she had liked Weiss a lot for a long time now. She was still in shock that she was lucky enough to have such a pretty and talented person as her teammate and partner, and Ruby wanted to show her off to the rest of the school tonight more than anything else.
But before she could think of something, Weiss asked her one last question:
"Ruby?" she whispered. "Is there... anything else you'd like to do right now?"
Ruby failed to think.
She was so giddy, so caught up in the mood of the night and the dance, and the lighting was making her dizzy and her body just moved on its own and Weiss had offered and she was so close and-
-she kissed Weiss.
On the cheek, but she kissed her, and the second she realized what she had done, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks fast enough to put her semblance to shame. Dread instantly flooded over her and she bit her lip.
Oh no. Ooooh no, oh no, oh nonononoooo what did I just do? Oh my gosh, I totally just ruined everything!
"W-Weiss, I-I didn't-"
"Ruby," the heiress said softly but sternly, looking directly into her eyes. "Just... be quiet for a minute."
In one swift motion, she pulled Ruby in close and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
There was a tiny squeak from Ruby, and an even tinier, nervous sound from Weiss as they froze in place. They counted the heartbeats – eight, nine, ten – until their bodies began to relax. It took a few seconds to realize all of this was real and really happening.
They drowned out the rest of the dance, the rest of the world, and concentrated only on one another. When they each realized the other was not pulling away, shoulders relaxed, eyelashes fluttered, and the kiss became a little deeper.
Ruby held it out for as long as she could, engraving this moment into her heart, but she was not a singer like Weiss, and she had to step back and take a breath. Her face matched her dress, and Weiss' was not much different. The heiress curled her hand in Ruby's, holding tighter to the small of her back. She could feel Ruby was still trembling a little, but it was no longer because she was anxious; it was because she was enthralled.
Weiss held her gaze, trying to slow her breathing, wanting to say something but not knowing what. She was at a loss for words, rendered completely illiterate now. All she could think about was Ruby, how warm her body was, how snugly she fit in her arms, how soft her lips had been...
And Ruby was entirely smitten, elated, and enchanted. She moved closer to Weiss and looked hopefully into her eyes.
"Weiss..." she whispered. "Are you... are you okay with... with that?"
Weiss responded with a light flick to the girl's forehead.
"You dunce," she chided gently. "If I wasn't okay with it, would I have done it in the first place?"
Ruby considered for a moment as she rubbed her forehead.
"Heh, I guess not." She searched Weiss' pretty blue eyes, like pools of crystal water reflecting a cloudless sky. "Can we... do it again?" she mumbled.
"Is that what you want?" her partner asked.
Ruby sniffled, feeling a poignant wave of emotion washing over her.
"Y-Yeah..." she nodded, trying to keep back her tears. "It's kinda what I've wanted for a while now."
"Well that's good," Weiss hummed. "Because it's what I've wanted for a while as well."
"Oooh, Weiss~!" With an excited cry of her name, Ruby brought both hands to the heiress' cheeks and pulled her in for another zealous kiss.
Weiss had not been completely prepared that time, and it was her turn to squeak in surprise. But once she absorbed the situation for what it was, she wrapped her arms around Ruby's back and held her, closing her eyes and tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
It was another few seconds later when Weiss could feel the hiccups jolting through her partner's body, and she tasted salt on her lips. Ruby pulled back, sobbing softly.
"Ruby...?" Voice shaking with uncertainty, Weiss ran her hands lightly up and down her back by means of comfort.
Ruby lifted a hand up to wipe her face.
"I'm okay, Weiss. I-I'm just so happy I'm... really happy... Weiss..."
The heiress sighed in relief.
"That's good. I'm glad, Ruby. Really glad."
"Waaah, Weiss!" she sniffled again. "Eww my face is all icky now c-cause I'm crying..."
"Dolt. Let me see." She had Ruby step back for a moment as the heiress pulled a tissue from her pocket. "Hold still," she muttered, dabbing it over Ruby's eyes. "There."
"Wait, Weiss..." Ruby sniffed again before trumpeting her nose into the tissue. Weiss almost shrieked and quickly stuffed the tissue back into her pocket, removing both of her gloves and putting them away as well.
"You are such a child..." she sighed heavily.
"Ehehe sorry~"
"Dunce."
Ruby apologized again, this time with a silent kiss to Weiss' scar. The heiress begrudgingly allowed it.
The brunette then dipped her head, resting against Weiss' collar as her hands moved down to her waist.
"Weiss, this is the best night of my life. Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you," Weiss murmured, kissing the girl's hair. She rested her chin atop Ruby's head, closing her eyes for a moment. The music had slowed, and most of the couples around them were in similar positions. "You're much prettier than anyone here, or on all of Remnant," Weiss breathed into her partner's ear.
Ruby was too bashful to say anything in reply, so she settled for making a delighted sound and squeezing her. She lifted Weiss off the ground briefly and spun her around once before putting her back down. She burrowed into Weiss' collar, nuzzling against the side of her neck. She could hear Weiss' heartbeat faintly beneath her ear and sighed as she hugged her a little tighter again.
"Weiss... Weiss..." She kept repeating her name, using it as an anchor, proof that all of this was real.
And every time Ruby said her name, Weiss would press another kiss to her head, her temple, her ear, or wherever else she could.
The dance continued for a short while after that, and only when the music came to a decrescendo and then ceased altogether did the students begin to leave the ballroom and head back to their dorms.
It was when the crowd had thinned out a bit when Weiss found Blake and Yang making their way over. The second the blonde saw her little sister curled up against Weiss, she put a hand to her mouth and hid a short squeal, channeling her bursting excitement by pulled Blake into a quick, hard kiss.
Once Yang released her, Blake shook her head to clear it, running a hand through her frazzled hair as they approached their teammates. She shared a knowing look with Weiss and gave a small nod of congratulations.
Yang was naturally the first to break the silence.
"Soooo, I see things went well~" she sang.
When she heard her sister's voice, Ruby looked up and pulled away from Weiss' embrace.
"Yang! Hi, Blake!" she beamed. "Did you guys have a good time?"
"Clearly not as good a time as you two~"
"Ugh," Weiss rolled her eyes. "I knew she'd be a pain about this..."
"Yang," Blake put a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Be nice."
"Aww, but it's no fun unless I tease 'em a bit!" Yang stepped in between the two girls and slung an arm around each of their shoulders. She squeezed Weiss and Ruby to her sides with vigor, and Ruby giggled while Weiss felt the air fly from her lungs. Yang set them down, and Weiss got her breath back as Blake reached them as well.
"I'm glad we all had a good time," the Faunus girl smiled.
"Yeah!" Ruby bounced up and down. "It was the best! Weiss is the best!" She threw her arms around her partner again, causing Weiss to lose the breath she had just gotten back.
"Aww, I'm gonna have'ta fight ya on that, lil' sis," Yang waggled a finger at her. "Because Blakey here is the best." To prove it, she smooched a kiss onto her partner's lips.
Ruby pouted at them over her shoulder.
"Mm, sorry Blake. But Weiss is still the best." Ruby followed her sister's example and kissed the heiress again. Weiss knew she would have enjoyed it a lot more if she had not been so winded, and after a few seconds, she had to pry Ruby off of her.
"Okay!" she gasped. "While all of this is very flattering... can it wait until we get back to the room?"
"I agree," Blake said as Yang let her go. "Then we can all argue about who has the best girlfriend."
"Well," Weiss huffed. "That's clearly me. I have the best girlfriend."
"G-Girlfriend..." Ruby repeated the word with stars in her eyes.
"That's right," Weiss declared. "You're mine, Ruby Rose."
Ruby squealed again as she all but launched herself at her partner, tackling her with such force they both went tumbling to the ground with a thud.
"Ow..." Weiss groaned as Ruby nestled into her shoulder.
"Sorry, sorry!" Ruby peppered her face in soft kisses.
"Alright," Yang clapped her hands with a chuckle. "That's enough PDA for one day, you lovebirds." She plucked Ruby off the exhausted heiress and pulled her up as Blake knelt down to help Weiss.
"Okaaaay," Ruby grinned. "But we'll continue this fight back in the room!"
"Or we can go to sleep," Weiss suggested.
"Naaaaah!" Both sisters shook their heads, and Blake patted the white-haired girl's shoulder as she heaved another sigh.
"But wow," Ruby said happily. "Tonight really was great. It was the best night ever and- ooh-!" She cut off abruptly as a shiver ran up her spine, sending goosebumps over her exposed shoulders. "Ah, is it just me, or is it a bit chilly now that all the people are gone?"
Weiss blinked once before unbuttoning her white jacket, slipping out of it and leaving her with just the dress shirt. "Here." She slipped the excess article of clothing over Ruby's shoulders, finding she herself had been getting a bit warm and this arrangement worked in both their favors.
Ruby held tightly to the ends of the jacket that still had some of Weiss' warmth on it.
"Thanks, Weiss!" She scurried over to her partner and snuggled into her side.
"Aww," Yang sighed as she watched them. "Y'know Blake, I think I'm a bit chilly too~"
"Yang, have you felt your semblance?"
"Pleeeease?" she begged before adding in a more suggestive tone, "Are you really gonna let Weiss show you up like that?"
"Don't peg this on her," Blake mumbled.
But in the end, that may have factored into the reason why she removed her jacket as well and gave it to Yang.
"Alright, team!" Ruby spoke up to gain their attention. "Let's get back to the room, shall we?"
"Yes," Weiss agreed as Ruby clung to her arm and walked with her. "And you're going to get my suit washed for me. It's got your mucus on it, after all."
"Aw gross! Why'd you have to remind meee?" Ruby whined.
"Oh, hush. It's only because you got so emotional."
"Yeah, cause I was really happy you kissed me!"
"Ooooh~?" Yang cooed from behind them. "So you made the first move, eh, Weiss?"
"Quiet."
"I'd like to put in that I moved things along by making her jealous," Blake added.
"Huh?" Ruby looked up at her partner. "Weiss, what's she talking about?" She quickly gasped as she made the connection. "You mean- you were jealous cause I practiced dancing with Blake before?"
"I said hush!"
"Awww, Weeeeiissss!" Ruby hugged her again and kissed her cheek, leaving the heiress flushed anew.
Yang took the opportunity to share another quick peck with Blake just as they reached the room and all filed in.
The night and the dance were over, but the magic of it all remained in their hearts, and their new relationships together were only just beginning.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! And again, this was written before the canon revealed the dance, and even before it was revealed how tired Blake was after their investigation. So there's no mention of that here - just happiness for Kuma's amazing drawings!
Please review!