Finally, time for my Ice Cream Shop AU! I wrote this fic probably about half a year ago, so it might not be very good (from what I remember, ahaha) so please forgive me. I remember thinking it to be pretty boring, but I hope you don't think so...

Special thanks to bonthekitten and TabooSho!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Strawberries On Top

Chapter 1.

It would be a lie if Weiss were to say she wasn't nervous today.

It was her first day of her new summer job behind the counter of her father's famous ice cream shop, the only one on the east side of Vale.

Naturally, they got a lot of business and did rather well, considering there was no competition. With how well-off her family was, Weiss never thought she'd need to get a job, but her father insisted it would be good experience for her, that it would provide assistance around the shop, and Weiss was permitted to do whatever she pleased with the money she earned.

Presently, her father had just parked their car in the strip mall's parking lot, and Weiss nervously unbuckled her seat belt. She might've felt a bit better about all of this if Winter were working together with her, but her sister already had a full schedule for the next few weeks with babysitting gigs.

Therefore, Weiss was about to start working with staff she didn't know, people she'd never met before. And though her father would be in his office not far away from the time the shop opened until it closed...

...she couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to be more or less completely alone in this place.

She'd never been the best at making friends, and being home-schooled hadn't exactly helped with her social skills. Luckily for her, this week would be a trial run, and if she ended up feeling too uncomfortable with the job, her father was going to allow her to quit.

Just one week, Weiss reminded herself. That was the deal. I can handle that, no problem.

But it wasn't so much the co-workers she was concerned about; she was efficient enough to do her job with or without them.

She was more worried about the strange kind of customers they could potentially be getting; she'd heard horror stories from people who worked in retail or in shops about the sheer calibre of "odd" some people could be.

As she unbuckled herself and stepped out of the car, Weiss dusted off her blue mini skirt, briefly wondering why she'd gone through the trouble of dressing nicely from the waist down when all people were going to see of her would be from above the counter.

She followed her father across the parking lot and to the strip mall to where Schnee's Ice Cream was located, at the very end. It was near the edge of the parking lot, and there were several small tables set up along a strip of grassy area that was also her father's property. Customers often sat there to enjoy their ice cream outside on warmer days.

Weiss looked up at the large familiar sign above the door. The text for Schnee's Ice Cream was bolded and yet somehow refined, with just a bit of a swirl to the dark blue letters. Against the white background, a large snowflake-like symbol – the family crest – was at the center of the sign.

Weiss traced over the snowflake with her eyes from where she stood on the sidewalk as her father unlocked the doors and beckoned her inside.

A naturally-cold breeze met Weiss instantly as the lights came on; the chill was another thing she'd have to get used to. But when it was drawing so near to hottest summer months now, she didn't think it would be all that bad. In fact the air conditioning would be rather welcomed.

Again, she just feared what kind of odd customers might saunter into the shop to take refuge from the heat and end up loitering and causing problems.

But for now, the troubling thoughts went to the back of her mind to start collecting dust as she followed her father behind the counter, where all the assortments of ice cream were contained behind the glass.

He first handed Weiss a white and blue apron with the shop's logo, name, and symbol on it, and as Weiss slipped it over her neck and tied the strings at the small of her back, she once again wondered why she'd gone through the trouble of dressing nicely this morning.

Once she was ready, her father brought her over to the rows of large containers where the ice cream was kept. Weiss had seen the palette of frozen colors countless times before, however this was her first time seeing it from the other side of the counter. She did her best to memorize each title of the flavors as her father listed them now.

Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, black raspberry...

Those were the basics, and then there were the spin-off combinations, the swirls, the difference between cone or cup, the difference between a small, medium, or large order-

And then their infamous "unlimited toppings".

If customers paid an extra $1 fee, they were permitted to ask for as many toppings that could fit on their ice cream.

Weiss' eyes scanned the jars and bottles now: sprinkles, gummy bears, M&Ms, peanuts, whipped cream, syrup, cherries, strawberries, cookies or – perhaps most confusingly of all – plain white powdered sugar.

Weiss wrinkled her nose distastefully. Who would ever ask for plain sugar on top of their ice cream? Felons? The mentally insane? Is there not enough sugar in the stuff already?

With a roll of her eyes, she followed her father to the cash register as he taught her how to go about using it. After her short lesson had finished and she'd proved she could work it through a small trial run with him, he deemed her fit and ready to begin her first day.

"The other employees will help you out as well," he reminded her. "And should you need me, I'll be in my office." He nodded to a door in the wall several feet behind the cash register. "Remember this is only a trial week to see if you like the job. I hope you will. Do your best." He leaned down to press a quick kiss to her head.

"Yes, Papa. Of course I will." Weiss met his eyes and smiled faintly. She wasn't so certain she could find passion in the family business the way he did, but she didn't want to disappoint him without even trying.

He nodded to her before heading over to his office, disappearing through the door, and closing it behind him.

Weiss stood in the shop in silence for a moment, her eyes traveling to the several sets of tables and chairs indoors. A large window to the side of the building permitted her to see the ones outside in the grass as well. The walls inside were painted with cookies and ice cream, all in various vibrant colors, and for a moment, Weiss silently traced the outlines of the pictures with her eyes.

She straightened up when her father emerged once more, holding a small card, which she soon realized to be a name tag. Hers.

He clipped it on her apron over her left shoulder, nodding to himself in satisfaction before he made a request of her.

"We've still got half an hour before we open to the public. Could you give the tables a quick cleaning?"

"Of course."

Weiss knelt down briefly to open the cabinets beneath the counters, extracting a bottle of cleaning spray and a roll of paper towels. She headed outside first to begin on the tables and chairs there, rolling up the dirtied paper towels and tossing them in a nearby trash can.

The "quick" cleaning her father had asked for just wasn't possible with Weiss; he knew she was a bit of a neat freak and likely just wanted to give her something to do so her nerves about her first day wouldn't get to her.

By this time, the summer sun was rising, dyeing the brown-painted strip mall buildings in oranges and golds. When she looked to the sky, Weiss found it pink and yellow, and the circle of the sun itself was red, indication that today would be one of their first sweltering days of the season.

Weiss cleaned the tables and chairs outside for about ten minutes, making sure she got every inch of all surfaces before returning inside. She found that her father had turned on the radio, and soft, pleasant songs were now filling the shop as Weiss started on cleaning the inside tables.

About ten minutes before the shop opened, just as Weiss was starting on her second table, the chime to the back door opened, and Weiss jolted as she looked up. Customers couldn't enter through that door, so she was expecting trouble of some sort.

But the girl she saw before her didn't seem to be posing a threat.

She was several inches taller than Weiss, dressed in black pants and a purple tank top, long, thick black hair flowing down her shoulders and back. She wore a black bow on top of her head and was rubbing her eyes as she walked inside, mumbling a half-hearted "'Morning..."

Weiss relaxed when she realized this girl was another employee – and certainly no threat, judging by the way she walked into one of the tables and stumbled. That seemed to wake her up a bit, and she opened her eyes fully, revealing a golden color like the sun at midday. Her gaze went instantly and curiously to Weiss, and a friendly smile formed on her lips.

"Hi. You must be Mr. Schnee's daughter. He mentioned you'd be starting soon." The girl made her way around the chairs and halted a few feet before Weiss. "I'm Blake. I could show you the ropes around here if you'd like."

Weiss' eyes were hard as she gave the girl a once-over.

"I already know the ropes quite well, thank you."

She didn't mean to sound hostile; it was just how her voice naturally was, especially when she was flustered. But she saw the other girl's smile fade for a moment, and Weiss instantly felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She followed Blake's eyes as they rested on her name tag.

"Weiss..." she said slowly. "Am I saying it right? It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand in greeting, but Weiss' eyes flashed quickly down to the dirty paper towels in her hands.

"Um-" Helplessly, she failed to reach out her hand as well.

Blake realized what her plight was and quickly withdrew her own hand.

"Oh, sorry. I'll get my apron on and come help you out."

With that, she headed off behind the counter, leaving Weiss to clutch her hand into a fist until her nails were embedded in her palm.

Great, she hissed to herself. A wonderful first start... Who am I kidding? I'll never make it in this job...

The hopeful mood she'd gotten herself into over the past half hour had effectively been soured through no one's fault but her own.

Weiss heaved a sigh, feeling her shoulders slumping and posture slouching as she continued to wash the table surface. She peeked up past her bangs to seek Blake behind the counter.

The girl was tying her apron behind her back before using her teeth to slip a hair tie off her wrist, and then gather her hair behind her head. After a minute of collecting the thick dark locks, she tied it into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck before walking toward the office door and knocking to wish her boss good morning.

Weiss returned to her work as Blake came back around the counter.

"Toss me the roll," she said, nodding to the paper towels.

Weiss blinked at her, a little confused, but she picked them up nonetheless. Uncertainty was written clearly on her face and spoke volumes to her nervousness as she threw the roll, and several sheets came unraveled in the air.

But Blake saved her the humiliation of throwing so badly it hit the floor, as she dove forward to grab everything. "Nice throw," she chuckled, tearing off a sheet.

Weiss looked away, feeling her cheeks heating up, and she bit the inside of one.

Blake stepped behind her and hooked the bottle of cleaner liquid off the table with her index finger. She spritzed a few times onto her paper towel before giving the bottle back to Weiss and heading off to start on one of the last tables.

Weiss too, continued to work, though she kept one eye on Blake and she wasn't quite sure why. The music only filled the silence for a moment before the dark-haired girl spoke up again.

"So what's your shift today?" she wondered.

Weiss paused her cleaning for a moment as she pondered the answer.

"I'd assume until closing time? I mean my father drove me here and I don't have any other way to get back home other than wait until he leaves."

"An entire day shift?" Blake repeated, baffled. "Whoa. That's a bit rough for your first day, but I guess it makes sense."

"Are you not staying the entire day?" Weiss wondered.

"No. I'm only here until one, then Sun's coming in for the afternoon until closing."

"Sun?" Weiss parroted, and she began to wonder just how many people worked here.

"Yeah," Blake nodded. "He's a bit of a hassle sometimes, but he's a people person. Which helps if you're not. I'll stick around a little later today to introduce the two of you."

"It's alright," Weiss mumbled as she finished up her table. "You don't have to do that. I'll meet him whether you stay or not, so there's no point in you staying later than you have to."

"I've got nowhere to be," Blake shrugged. "So I don't mind." She too finished cleaning her table, and realized they were done. "Come with me and let's wash off. Customers are gonna start coming in any minute now."

She led the way back behind the counter, and Weiss followed with the cleaning supplies in-hand.

Blake led her to a small hallway beside the toppings' counter, a crevice that Weiss had completely overlooked upon her first look around the place. She crouched down briefly to put away the spray and paper towels before following after Blake.

"There's a bathroom back here," the dark-haired girl informed her. "We have one for customers, but this one is just for employees, which is nice. Here."

She motioned Weiss over to the sink with her. Blake took the soap dispenser and squirted a bit into Weiss' palm before doing the same for herself. She turned on the water and began lathering her hands as she continued speaking. "There's also a mini fridge out in the hall. I'll show you that next."

She tried to give Weiss some space to wash her hands, and once Blake was finished, she pulled down some fresh paper towels to dry off with. Weiss did the same once she was finished, and next Blake led her out of the bathroom and to the fridge. Blake knelt down to open it, revealing a dozen or so small bottles of water and juice.

"Your dad buys them for us, which is really nice of him. Sun tends to clear out the juices on a daily basis so if you want some, take it now."

"Water's fine," Weiss reassured her.

"Here." Blake tossed a bottle up to her and took one for herself. "You look like you need it. You've been here for hours cleaning and the day hasn't even officially begun yet. If you're going to be here all day, make sure you take a break every now and again."

Weiss nodded once as she opened her water and tilted her chin back to drink. She hadn't realized how parched she'd been until now when the icy water flowed down her throat.

Once finished, she closed the bottle and slipped it into the pocket of her apron before following her coworker back out. The clock across the room had just struck 8:00AM, and it was time to start preparing for customers.

They stood side by side for a moment or so. Blake was so calm and expectant of what was to come, but Weiss couldn't stop clutching at her apron and shifting her posture. Thankfully, Blake saved her from waiting through more silence.

"If you need help with anything, just let me know. I'm sure you'll be fine, but sometimes it can get hectic in here, especially on a hot day like today should be."

"Will do," Weiss nodded, glad that her tone was no longer so harsh-sounding. "I... do have one question, though."

"Sure. Anything."

Weiss met Blake's eyes and glanced back to the "toppings" counter.

"Is there really anyone who ever comes in asking for sugar on their ice cream?"

Blake was silent for a moment. Then, she laughed out loud.

"The way you'd said that... I thought you were going to ask something serious..."

"This is a serious question!" Weiss snapped.

"Right... of course." Blake wiped a hand over her eyes as she breathed deeply. "But to answer your question, yes. You'd be surprised at the kinds of people we get here. There's this one pair of sis-"

"Oh! Tell me later." Weiss stopped her suddenly. "We've got our first customers coming in now."

Blake nodded and saved the story for later; she'd probably even get to show Weiss exactly what she'd meant to describe.

"Alright," Blake said softly as the customers – a mother and two young boys – entered the shop.

Weiss and Blake both greeted them with "good morning"s, as the boys rushed over to start looking at the selection of ice cream. In their last minute of silence, Weiss cleared her throat to get Blake's attention.

"I never introduced myself properly. I'm Weiss Schnee. It's nice to be working with you." She extended her hand with confidence, though Blake noticed the way her fingers trembled slightly.

The fact that Weiss was willing to redo their awkward meeting this morning caused Blake to smile, glad that there was no intended animosity between them.

"Nice to meet you, Weiss."

She met Weiss' hand with her own and shook it gently.

Weiss smiled up at her before turning around to the counter.

"Alright then. Here's to a good first day on the job together."

The morning began fairly easily for the two girls.

They got into the routine of Blake taking the orders and scooping the ice cream while Weiss waited on the register.

Once the people had their treats, she would stand back for a moment to watch them choose their seats indoors or walk outside. The day was bright and warm as she'd anticipated, and within only the first hour of being open, she and Blake had served two dozen customers.

"And it's only 9AM," Blake mumbled. "Noontime is hectic because everyone's on lunch break. Plus, it's the hottest time of day. Sometimes, the line goes out the door."

Weiss made a small sound in the back of her throat.

"How did you manage it on your own?" she wondered.

Blake shrugged.

"Sometimes your dad would come out to help if it got to be too much for me and Sun. But I think it'll be a lot simpler with you here. You're really fast and efficient."

"Oh, please..."

Weiss looked away, and Blake chuckled to herself.

They made it through another hour without any hitches, and before Weiss knew it, it was noon. She took the water bottle from her pocket and drank a few sips, thankful for the air conditioning in the shop; judging by the shorts, tank tops, and loose shirts the customers were wearing, it was a humid day outside.

During the chaotic lunchtime hour, Blake's predictions came true, and a long line of customers formed, leading out the door and around the side of the building. She and Weiss both took on the tasks of taking orders and getting to the register.

The interior of the place was bustling with people of all ages, though Weiss did appreciate the efforts of the parents who kept their children in check rather than let them run rampant and fight over the gum-ball machine.

She was also incredulous at how many people asked for the "unlimited toppings" option and paid the fee. The time it took her to both scoop the ice cream and ring up the price was less time than it took to add on all the combinations of toppings people asked for.

Some wanted gummy bears, some wanted syrup and cherries, others wanted peanuts and whipped cream, others wanted whipped cream and sprinkles and cherries...

Weiss was certain she had gone through every feasible combination in that one hour alone.

When the midday crowd started to die down, Weiss' father came out to see how they were doing. Weiss gave him a tired but accomplished smile and he patted her shoulder. Once had had returned to his office, Blake came up beside her co-worker.

"You should take a break. Sit down for a minute."

"Where? On top of the counters?" Weiss asked sarcastically.

Blake chuckled again.

"Just take one of the empty tables."

She encouraged Weiss to slip away from the counter and sit for a moment. The only reason Weiss didn't fight her on the matter was because there were only three customers right now, and they had all been served already.

She sat down and finished off her water bottle, glancing up to find Blake had extracted a cell phone and was presently texting someone.

Weiss had just started enjoying the easygoing silence and tune of the music when the doors burst open behind her, the chimes ringing loudly. She quite literally jumped up out of her seat and whirled around as a boy with spiky blond hair entered.

"Hello, Schnee's Ice Cream!" he sang, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop.

Weiss' eyes scoured him from the feet up; he wore open-toed sandals and loose jeans that were rolled up to his calves, but most appallingly of all was his white button-up shirt that wasn't buttoned up at all. His toned stomach was on display for all to see, and Weiss felt her face go beet red with embarrassment. How dare this ruffian trounce his way into her ice cream shop dressed like that?

"Excuse you!" Weiss growled under her breath, trying not to upset the other customers. "Who exactly do you think you are? Isn't your lousy dress code breaking several laws of common decency? Need I call the authorities on you?"

"Whoa, hey, easy!" He put his hands up in surrender, though the grin stayed on his face. "Hey now, who're you, wearing our uniform? You're pretty cute-"

"Quit it, you idiot," Blake sighed, coming around from behind the counter. The boy perked up when he saw her, but she continued to look playfully unamused. "I don't think Nep would appreciate you harassing girls, do you?"

"Aw c'mon, you're not gonna tattle on me are ya? I was just-"

"Pardon me," Weiss cut him off, her eyes going to Blake. "But do you know this scoundrel?"

"Unfortunately," Blake sighed, ignoring an indignant "hey!" from the boy. "Weiss, I probably should have given you a better warning and apologized in advance, but... this is Sun. Our co-worker."

Weiss thought she felt her jaw hit the floor.

"I... I pray you're joking."

"I'm afraid not."

"Aw, c'mon Blake!" Sun whined. "You're makin' me sound like some kinda criminal!"

"Dressed as you are, I'd believe it," Weiss muttered.

"Really," Blake hissed at him. "Cover up, would you? You're working now."

"I'm just gonna put the apron on! Chill out, okay?" Sun snuck past them to slip behind the counter and find his apron, covering his open shirt as he tied it.

Weiss cast a desperate glance toward Blake.

"You can't seriously be leaving me alone with him for the next seven hours."

"I'm sorry. I'll give him a stern talking-to and make sure he behaves, though. And don't worry. He's an idiot, but he's harmless and works hard when he needs to. Plus, he's got a boyfriend, so you don't have to worry about anything like that."

Weiss blinked, then nodded.

"So long as he does his job..."

"He will. Your father hired him for a reason. He's like a monkey the way he chatters nonstop and charms people into paying for the extra toppings."

Blake motioned for Weiss to follow her back behind the counter. They stopped beside Sun who had just finished tying his apron and was grinning at the two of them.

"So~" he drawled. "Who's the new girl?"

"Sun," Blake said with a bit of warning in her tone. "This is Weiss. Schnee. As in-"

"Whoa, boss' daughter!" Sun straightened his posture instantly and smacked a salute to his forehead as he turned to Weiss. "My bad for scarin' ya just now."

"I wasn't scared," Weiss snapped. "Just... startled."

"Right, okay." Sun nodded and lowered his hand again, glancing back to Blake. "I like her already."

"Great. I'll let your boyfriend know."

"Blake, c'mon!"

The two bickered playfully for a moment longer while Weiss busied herself by cleaning the countertops. She was pleasantly surprised at herself as to how quickly she had seemed to warm up to both Blake and even Sun.

The next customer that arrived was left to him to handle, and Weiss watched him smooth-talk the woman into paying the extra dollar for the "unlimited toppings" option. Once she'd paid and Sun had sent her off with her ice cream, he turned back to Weiss with a thumbs-up.

"So. Am I good or am I good?"

"Impressive," Weiss admitted. "But you could do with a bit of a better speech pattern, if you ask me."

"Aw, but the voice is the best part! Other than, y'know, the rest of me." He grinned again and Weiss rolled her eyes.

It was then she heard the short tune of Blake's cell phone go off, and Weiss turned back to the other girl.

"Oh, I gotta get home. My shift ended twenty minutes ago." She started untying her apron and slipped it off her neck.

"What?" Sun smirked. "No Yang today?"

"I texted her to be here half an hour ago, but she said she'd be late. I guess I'll have to catch her tomorrow. Sun, if she does drop by after I leave today, make sure to put almonds in her ice cream."

"But she hates those."

"Exactly."

Blake hung up her apron and pulled her hair free of its ponytail for the first time in five and a half hours. She checked her phone one last time before sighing and slipping it into her pants pocket.

"Well, I've gotta go. Good luck, you two. And Weiss, if he gives you any trouble, just threaten to drink all the juice before he does."

"You wouldn't!" Sun cried.

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright. Thank you for your help, Blake."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow in the afternoon. Sun's got morning shift."

Blake slipped into her boss' office to say goodbye to him before heading out the shop's door with one last wave over her shoulder.

The second she was gone, Weiss felt the awkwardness in the air thicken between Sun and herself. Blake had been easy enough to speak to due to her somewhat quieter disposition, but in the full four minutes since Weiss had known him, Sun had been nothing but talkative.

Presently, he cracked his neck, making Weiss wince as she headed over to the register. A few more customers came in and Sun got their orders for them, again convincing them to try out the unlimited toppings.

Weiss listened to what he said to persuade those people, wondering if she would be able to do the same. The customers paid for their ice cream and Weiss gave them a smile as they turned away. Immediately after that, Sun ran up to her.

"Hey! I'm just gonna run to the john, kay? Be back in a sec! Don't miss me!" And with that he scurried off.

Weiss heaved a sigh as she watched him go.

"Honestly..." she muttered. "Couldn't you have done that before you came here?"

It was the first time she'd been alone behind the counter all day so far, and a prickle of nervousness crept up her spine. There were a few people eating in the corner table, but other than that there was no one-

"Ha!"

A loud voice suddenly erupted throughout the peaceful shop as a person slammed into the door, pushing it open with speed and force as the chimes went crazy.

Weiss felt her heart seize as she put a hand to her chest, eyes flying to the door and the source of the disruption.

It was a girl in a red t-shirt and a small black skirt, chocolate-brown hair reaching her shoulders as she panted, laughing victoriously over her shoulder.

"I beat you! Now you have to buy me whatever I want!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Another voice groaned, and not a moment later, a taller blonde girl came limping up to the door the first girl was holding open for her.

Once the initial shock had died away, Weiss released a long sigh.

"Is everyone around here just excessively loud today?" She grumbled as much, but as soon as the two new customers entered the shop, she exchanged her scowl for a smile. "Good afternoon and welcome to Schnee's Ice Cream," she said.

"Oh, hi!" The brunette grinned back at her before scurrying over to the counter. The blonde girl followed more slowly.

"Only a small or medium, Ruby," she warned. "I don't have enough cash to buy you any mumbo-jumbo-sized things."

"Okaaaayyy..."

While the smaller of the two girls mumbled to herself while staring at the choices, the blonde came to a stop opposite Weiss.

"Is Blake here?" she asked.

Weiss blinked at her, assuming these girls must be regulars.

"No, you just missed her," she said.

"Damn it. She's gonna kill me..." The blonde bit her knuckles for a second.

The girl she'd called Ruby was bouncing up and down beside her, and Weiss directed her attention to the smaller girl.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah, yeah! Okay so I'd like a large- er medium double-scoop of hard-served chocolate and soft-served strawberry ice cream please!"

"Right. One moment please."

Weiss quickly turned around and selected a medium-sized cup, moving a bit stiffly as she realized this was the first time all day she'd be serving customers alone behind the counter. She went to the appropriate containers and scooped a generous amount of chocolate and strawberry into the cup before plucking out a small blue spoon and sticking it into the ice cream.

Since Sun wasn't back yet, Weiss decided to try out his techniques of persuading people to try the toppings bar as well. Weiss turned back to the bubbling brunette and cleared her throat.

"May I... interest you in our unlimited toppings option for an extra dollar? We've got an assortment of things such as peanuts-"

"Oh whoa!" The blonde cut Weiss' speech off with a chuckle, and the white-haired girl pouted as her words were lost. She glared at the taller girl, and the blonde seemed to realize her mistake. "My bad, sorry! It's just kinda funny that you'd think you need to persuade Ruby of all people to try the extra toppings."

"Well Yang, she's obviously new here!" Ruby defended. "We come here every day. Have you ever seen her before? I didn't expect her to know." Ruby turned back to Weiss and gave her a kind smile that reached her peculiar silver eyes. "I'd love the unlimited toppings too, thanks! I'll take a scoop of everything!"

Weiss was just beginning to relish in the fact that she'd successfully taken an order and gotten the customer to use the toppings bar all by herself-

-that is until she'd realized what the girl had just requested.

"Pardon?" Weiss said, quirking an eyebrow. She'd gotten people asking for single toppings, sometimes combinations of two and very rarely three things, but- "Did you say... everything?"

In contrast to her confusion, the brunette merely continued to smile.

"Yep! I know it all fits better in a big cup, but Yang said I can only get medium today."

Weiss was still standing in the same spot, dumbfounded. She failed to see how someone could enjoy the taste of gummy bears, whipped cream, syrup, cherries, strawberries, sprinkles, cookie bits, and nuts all in one sitting. And this girl had said they came to the shop every single day.

This Ruby girl was clearly on another level above the rest.

But Weiss wasn't one to complain. The "unlimited toppings" were just that, so if this girl wanted everything, she was by all means permitted to have it.

Weiss finally moved her feet and went to the jars and containers of treats and toppings, taking out each spoon in turn and pouring the nuts, gummy bears, candies, cookies, and sprinkles before adding on the syrup, whipped cream, plain sugar, and finally the fruit, one of each.

In the end, there was hardly any ice cream visible beneath the mountain of toppings, and she placed it on the counter.

Ruby was nearly salivating, and Weiss actually had to hold back a small laugh.

"Will that be all?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll have a little something, too," the blonde – Yang – said. "After all, I had to chase this little bullet train all the way here and it's like... 100 degrees out. Um, I'll have a small vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles, please."

Weiss nodded and prepared her order as well before heading to the cash register.

"Your total is-"

"Um-!"

Weiss paused and looked up. Ruby was holding her finger up coyly.

Weiss titled her head a bit.

"Is something the matter?"

Her hands clutched at her apron at the thought of having messed up an order.

But the brunette shook her head from side to side.

"No, no not at all! Don't worry! It's just..." She made a circle on the tiled floor with her shoe. "Would it be possible to... get an extra strawberry? I love them so much, heh."

Weiss blinked again, but she didn't see anything wrong with the request.

"Of course."

Making her way back to where the strawberries were kept, Weiss plucked out one more before adding it to the mound of toppings on the girl's ice cream. Ruby's face absolutely lit up.

"Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it..." Weiss turned her face away quickly and took a quick breath before continuing. "Now then, your total is $5.50."

Ruby took her cup off the counter and squealed in delight as Yang balanced her cone in one hand and fumbled to remove her wallet with the other. When at last she'd poured the money out and paid Weiss, the two girls headed off to sit down at a nearby table.

Weiss felt a wave of accomplishment come over her, proud of herself for having handled two orders entirely on her own.

This isn't so tough.

A minute later, Sun re-emerged, given away by his loud voice.

"What'd I miss?" he asked.

Weiss smirked.

"Oh nothing. Just me expertly-"

"Oh, Yang! 'Sup?"

Again, Weiss was rudely cut off as Sun leaned over the counter with a wave to the blonde girl.

"Oh, it's Monkey Boy!"

"Guuhhh, didn't I ask you not to call me that?"

"Aaaand that's exactly why I do it~"

"Damn it," Sun grumbled. "You're lucky Weiss Princess was the one serving you, 'cuz Blake told me to give you almonds if you showed up!"

Weiss' indigent little "hey!" at the nickname she hadn't consented to went unnoticed as Yang let out a groan.

"Shit. I know she's probably mad at me. But we were running late as is!"

"Welp, ya just gotta send her an apology text and make it up to her tomorrow."

At last, Weiss got her voice to interject, her eyes trained on Yang's as she spoke.

"Are you friends with Blake?"

Lavender eyes went wide just seconds before a grin spread across her lips.

"Yeah, Princess. Blakey 'n I are really... close friends," she chuckled.

Weiss was about to demand to know why she was being teased when her attention was directed elsewhere.

"All done!" Ruby pushed her chair back and got to her feet, carrying her empty plastic cup over to the trash can. Weiss followed her with incredulous eyes as she returned to her table.

"Already? How did you manage to scarf all of that down so quickly?"

"'Cause when I eat, I give my full attention to the ice cream, not gabbing like Yang does," she replied, sticking her tongue out at the blonde. Yang returned the gesture before reaching out to pinch Ruby's nose, earning a squeal of protest.

"Haha! Like a little piglet~" Yang cooed.

"YANGUH! LEMME GOH!"

"Yo, sisters shouldn't be fightin'!" Sun called over.

"Sisters?" Weiss repeated, glancing the two girls over.

She could definitely understand.

At last, Yang released the smaller girl, and Ruby stuck her tongue out again before returning to her seat, taking out a handheld game from her skirt pocket to occupy herself.

Yang continued licking her ice cream as she spoke with Sun.

"But yeah anyway, I'll apologize to Blake tomorrow. We still up for that double date Saturday night?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Sun agreed. "Neptune's gonna be free a little after six."

"Hold on a moment," Weiss stopped him, pointing a finger to his nose. "So you mean to tell me that both you and Blake will be leaving me alone this Saturday evening two hours before closing?"

"Chill out!" Sun shrugged, patting her hand down. "I'm sure you'll be fine! It's just for two hours."

"On the busiest night of the week!" Weiss cried.

"Well, you did fine on your own just now, didn't'cha?"

"That was for two people! Saturday night will be hectic!"

"I could come by!" Weiss and Sun paused their small quarrel for a moment to look up. Ruby had spoken and continued with a grin. "I mean, I'm gonna be alone too that night if Yang's out on a date, so I might as well hang out here at my favorite place in town! So you won't be alone, Weiss!"

The white-haired girl scoffed.

"Excuse- H-How do you know my name?"

"Uhh, your name tag?" Ruby chuckled.

Weiss had forgotten about that.

"Oh. I see..."

"But yeah!" Ruby went on. "So I'll swing by this Saturday and come hang out here!"

"Cool beans!" Yang nodded. "I'll drop you off after I pick Blake up, then we'll all stop by here when we're finished and I'll take you home after that."

"Sounds like a plan!" Ruby smiled.

And just like that, Weiss had born witness to the foreshadowing of what her first time working alone would be like.

After a few more minutes, Yang had finished her ice cream, and the two sisters said goodbye to Sun and Weiss for today.

After that, every customer who asked Weiss for some of the toppings seemed so... average; none of them had a unique and tolerable pallet quite like Ruby's.

And she chuckled a bit to herself every time as she remembered how the girl had shyly asked for an extra strawberry.

Before she knew it, they had served their last customers, and the workday was over.

Having finished filing his papers, Weiss' father emerged from his office to help them close up the shop. Sun wished them a good night before hanging up his apron and heading out.

Weiss had just slipped off her own apron when her father addressed her.

"So how was your first day on the job?"

Weiss paused for a moment, recalling all the people she'd served, all the children she'd made smile by handing them their ice cream.

And of course, she remembered Blake, and even Sun, as well as Yang and Ruby.

After all, how could she ever forget the girl who'd put every single topping available on top of her ice cream?

Weiss hung up her apron and shrugged, though she couldn't hold back the smile.

"It went quite well," she told him. "I look forward to coming back tomorrow."

Her father smiled before turning off the lights, locking the doors, and leading her out.

Weiss didn't tell him how eager she was to work Saturday night.

A/N: This started as a two-shot, but I eventually added a few more chapters on. So I hope everything flows well and makes sense in the future. Also, one of the few times I'm adding in other characters like Sun and Nep, so I hope I write the boys okay!

If you enjoy my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!

Please review!