AUTHOR'S NOTE
MY RAMBLING IS IMPORTANT PLEASE READ IT!
This story is set about two years from the beginning of the canon. Ruby is 17, Weiss is 18 (late birthday), and Blake and Yang are 19. So FYI, Ruby isn't an airhead! People familiar with my stuff will know that, but it had to be said. Also, while they might reference stuff that happens in canon, but I'm probably not going to try and make anything up. Sounds good? Sounds good!
Secondly, I haven't written in forever. If anyone still remembers, I to be sorta popular on the pages… but that was kind of a while ago. So I apologize if this isn't very good. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to where I used to be eventually.
On a brighter note, since this is the first non AU fic I've written (or mostly non AU…) there might be some silly canon style fights.
Oh! Last thing! Upperclass students get to go from a team room to sharing a room just with their partners, though the other half of the team usually has a nearby room. So that's Ruby and Weiss's living situation.

It was almost midnight, and Weiss's Scroll was ringing.

"You gonna get that?" Ruby mumbled, stretched out on the bed.

"Of course I am, it's from my sister." Weiss replied. "Which means don't interrupt."

"Mmm." Ruby yawned. After three years of friendship, she had gotten very good at the care and feeding of Weiss Schnee. And the golden rule was to always, always keep an eye on her when family was involved. So Ruby rolled over to look at her partner.

As if on cue, Weiss had suddenly tensed up, digging her long nails into her palm and narrowing her eyes. Though she still managed to keep her voice measured and even, something was obviously wrong. Ruby scooted closer, trying to listen in on the conversation.

"The Cheshire Cat is a very good cafe. And it's right near the airship pad downtown." Weiss was saying. "I could meet you there after class." There was a slight pause while Winter replied, then; "Don't worry, I have someone to bring with me." Weiss's eyes shifted to look straight at Ruby. "I've actually been meaning to call you as well."

"Uh, what did I just get signed up for?" Ruby whispered. Weiss made a shushing motion and kept talking.

"No, Winter, I'm not just saying that. Yes, it's wonderful. Now, I need to sleep, so I'll see you Wednesday. Goodnight." Weiss jerked the Scroll away from her ear and stabbed the end call button with her finger.

"So…" Ruby said, drawing the sound out. "What's going on?"

"Family." Weiss sighed. "I'm just…"

"Is Winter pushing on you again?" Ruby asked. She liked Winter, and for the most part Weiss's sister was one of the few members of the Schnee family who was actually good for her. But she could sometimes display a shocking lack of common sense when it came to what Weiss did and didn't need.

"Yes." Weiss said, then held up a hand. "But she's not necessarily wrong this time."

"Making people do stuff they don't want to do is usually considered wrong, doofus." Ruby said, giving Weiss a lopsided smile. "So, what is it this time?"

"She… is getting engaged." Weiss said quietly.

"Isn't that good news?"

"She wondered if I was seeing anyone. And… she suggested I ought to be by now."

"Oh. Well that sucks. But you aren't. So then what were you looking at me for?" Ruby paused. "Wait, Weiss, please tell me we aren't going to pretend to be dating."

"Look, we only need to make it work for one night!" Weiss said, glaring. "Would it really be that hard to believe?"

"Well… you're straight? So… kinda?"

"I went on a few dates with one boy! And it was Neptune! I barely tolerate him!" Weiss was practically shouting by the end. Ruby held up her hands in defeat.

"Saying 'no' would have worked. I'm not sure my ears are gonna recover from that."

"Sorry." Weiss muttered grudgingly. "But I had barely left my parents' house. I wasn't exactly intent on… exploring. The whole affair with Neptune was just stupid."

"Does Winter know all of this?"

"Yes. Can we stop talking about it now?"

"Alright, next question then. Me? Seriously?" Ruby gestured down at herself. "I'm not exactly your type."

"Ruby, I've barely even had a real date." Weiss sighed. "I don't really have much of a type yet."

"True." Ruby said. "Welp. This is a thing."

"Please don't imitate your sister."

"My sister is hotter than your sister." Ruby mumbled.

"Ruby!"

"Well she is!"

"So not the point!" Weiss scowled, turning bright red.

"Oh, speaking of Yang, we should ask her for advice on this! She and Blake have been dating for a couple weeks now, right?" Ruby replied, a little grin dancing on her lips.

"That's a brilliant idea! In fact, why don't I just take her instead!" Weiss shouted, gesturing angrily.

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "That is my sister you're talking about."

Weiss buried her face in her hands. "...You're insufferable." She said after a moment.

"No no, if you wanna take Yang, take Yang! In fact, you two might be great together!"

"Ruby, please."

"Fine, fine. I'll stop." Ruby sat up and bounced a little. "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan is to shut up and go to sleep." Weiss grumbled. "I'm already regretting this and pushing it tonight is a bad idea."

"Aye aye, cap'n."

Weiss huffed and turned away. Ruby watched her for a moment, nibbling at her lip. So, Winter was getting engaged, huh? And more importantly, there was the teeny little detail that Weiss wasn't straight. Which was… extremely far out of left field.

Not that Ruby wasn't in favor of Weiss figuring things out. The poor girl lived like a nun, even if she was a year and a half older. Her dysfunctional family had left her with shocking deficits when it came to… well, any kind of relationship Ruby could name. Dating and everything it involved was kind of a huge blind spot for Weiss.

Which meant Ruby needed to take this extremely, extremely carefully. Oh god. If she fucked this up, Weiss might hate her forever. Or hate herself. Or both…

And she was probably going to have to wear a dress. And heels.

With that pleasant thought, Ruby lay her head down on the pillow and shut her eyes. But sleep was a long time coming.

Weiss had never been a morning person. So a few months into their partnership, Ruby had started leaving her a cappuccino on the bedside table every morning. It had helped to break the ice between them, and over the past two years had become a part of their routine. So when Weiss woke up, she immediately reached over to the bedside table where Ruby put the cup every morning.

Weiss groped around, and only ended up managing to knock off some of her notes. Frowning, she rolled over cracked her eyes open to look for it.

Nothing. The table was empty.

"Where is my fucking coffee?" Weiss mumbled, sitting up and massaging the sleep away from her eyes. "Ruby?"

No reply. Weiss looked down at her scattered papers in sleepy exasperation, and noticed one of Ruby's bright red post-it notes lying on top. She picked it up and scanned over it.

gone to punch yang and ask her about how to pretend to be in lesbians w/ u. b back soon bby

-R

Weiss stared at it for a moment, a series of terrifying images going through her head. Ruby and Yang talking about her. Ruby and Yang planning their date night. Ruby and Yang and their stupid, insane ideas. There was absolutely no way on any world that this could end well for her. And that ridiculously misspelled "be back soon" was ominous.

Weiss decided she might as well get dressed and ready, because life was easier to face when she was wearing heels that she could stomp through people's feet. Without her coffee, she managed to put her jacket on inside-out three times before stumbling outside the door, fully prepared to commit murder over either caffeine or her stupid partner.

Once Weiss had at least gotten her cappucino, she texted Blake. The other girl's judgement was almost always sound and level headed, except for a shocking blind spot when it came to Yang. Considering this didn't involve Yang (yet anyway) getting her advice seemed like a good idea. She pulled out her Scroll and tapped a message.

Can I meet you at the cafe near our rooms?

It only took seconds for Blake to reply.

I'm almost there now, actually. By the way, Yang was up early. Any idea why?
Unfortunately.

...Do I want to know?

I certainly didn't. And now I need advice. Whatever Ruby and Yang are up to may be my fault.

Alright, I've got my mocha. Where are you?

Weiss looked up and waved, spotting Blake near the counter. The other girl walked over and slid into the seat opposite, a styrofoam cup clutched in both hands.

"You've gotten my attention." She drawled, a small smile playing across her lips.

Weiss closed her eyes, then blurted, "I've asked Ruby to be my date to a dinner with my sister so Winter won't think I'm terrible at relationships."

Blake's eyes widened briefly. "That's interesting."

Weiss blushed and looked down at her empty cup. " It's just… I'm… not sure what else to do."

"Hmm." Blake took a sip, her amber eyes never leaving Weiss. "Well, you're obviously not straight."

"Thank you!" Weiss blurted, then winced. "Sorry. Ruby just… didn't realize."

"Ruby takes after Yang in many ways." Blake muttered cryptically. "So you and Ruby are in something of a difficult position. You need to make this believable, right?"

"Of course. My sister isn't an idiot."

"Well, she probably has the usual Schnee blind spots. So you won't need to be perfect." Blake replied dryly.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Weiss snapped.

"You're terrible with people." Blake replied cooly.

Weiss frowned and said nothing. It was technically true… "Then what do you suggest?"

"Well, you should at least be thorough. How you met, who asked who, and so on. But I assume you've already thought of that. So what's really going on here?"

"I…" Weiss frowned. "What makes you think something else is going on?"

"You're smart. You can work this out without my help, and you wouldn't ask me for help unless you were absolutely sure you couldn't do it without me. You can, so you're here for something else."

"You're extremely perceptive." Weiss muttered.

Blake smirked. "And for my next trick, let me guess what it is." Her eyes sparkled. "You actually like Ruby."

For once, Weiss was speechless.

Ruby pivoted, slamming the side of her scythe into Yang's back as she flew past. Her sister smashed down into the training room floor, bounced back up, and kicked out, sending Ruby skidding back.

"So, sis, what's up?" Yang asked casually as she stepped up and launching a flurry of jabs. Ruby ducked and dodged, spinning Crescent Rose to block the ones she couldn't avoid.

"Well, it's about Weiss." She replied, tripping Yang up with the curved blade and hopping back. She cranked the bolt on her scythe, aimed, and fired. Yang dove out of the way, and the bullet dug into the ground where she'd been a second before.

"What about her?" Yang asked, getting to her feet and firing off a flurry of blasts from her gauntlets.

"She wants me to pretend to be dating her so her sister doesn't think she's a loser." Ruby said, dashing back in a shower of roses. Yang advanced, tossing new rounds into Ember Celica.

"Huh." Yang muttered, pausing for a second. "Really?"

Ruby wiped the sweat out of her eyes. "Yep."

Yang suddenly dashed forward, her Semblance surrounding her in a wave of fire. Ruby jumped high in the air and fired Crescent Rose, blasting herself in the other direction.

"Yang, you cheated! We were talking!" Ruby shouted. Her sister swiveled, grinned like a lunatic, and came at her again.

"We're sparring, sis!" She called cheerily, catching a swing from Crescent Rose on her gauntlet. "You've gotta keep up with me!"

They exchanged a few more blows before Yang danced back, catching her breath. "So, what're you gonna do about it?"

Ruby ran forward in a spray of petals, sending her scythe hurtling downwards at her sister. Yang barely jumped away in time, and Crescent Rose gouged a chunk out of the floor.

"I dunno. I mean, I kinda like her?" She paused, leaning on the scythe and watching for Yang's next move. "And I also don't want her to freak out and I don't want her sister to know it's not real so…"

Yang darted forward, weaving through a few slashes from Crescent Rose before slamming Ruby in the gut, sending her flying backwards. "Fake it 'till you make it doesn't really apply here, Rubes." Yang said as Ruby shook herself off.

"Well I'm sorry for not having better ideas!" Ruby yelled back, ducking as a blast from Yang's gauntlets crashed into the wall behind her.

"You've always gotta take care of yourself first, sis." Yang yelled, running forward and slamming her fist down. Ruby barely managed to block with her scythe, and the impact sent tremors down her arms. Before she could react, Yang yanked her weapon away and twirled it before putting the edge op top of Ruby's head. "By the way, I win."

Ruby sighed and raised a hand, signaling the end of the bout. "Sorry. I know that was bad, just… I've got a lot on my mind."

"You're still not putting me on the defensive." Yang replied, giving her a hand up. "I'm dictating the fight. You're the one with super speed, you should be doing that."

"I know I know…" Ruby muttered, standing and inspecting Crescent Rose for scratches. Her baby didn't exactly do all that well with Yang whaling on it. "So what should I do?"

Yang went over to the wall where she'd put her water bottle and took a long drink. "I really have no idea." She said seriously. "But as your sister, I'm gonna tell you not to get yourself hurt."

"Thanks." Ruby said. "But I don't want Weiss to get hurt either. And she cares a lot what her sister thinks. And… Winter isn't wrong. Weiss needs to get out more."

"And 'getting out' involves getting with you, eh?" Yang said, giving her sister an exaggerated wink.

"Yang! It's not like that! I don't even really know if I feel… that way about her!"

"C'mon, you can talk about your raging ladyboner with mama Yang."

"...Ew. That is every flavor of gross."

"I live to make you feel awkward, sis." Yang said, taking another swig from her water bottle. "Alright, here's what I would do." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "See how the dinner goes. And… since Weiss isn't exactly the straightest…"

"How does everyone know this but me! She's my stupid partner!" Ruby groaned.
"Since Weiss isn't the straightest," Yang repeated, giving her sister a glare. "I'd say you might have a shot. I mean, she likes you more than any of the rest of us."

"Except Blake…" Ruby mumbled.

"That's different." Yang replied.

"Because you're dating her?" Ruby asked. "How's that going by the way?"

"We… aren't dating?" Yang said, rubbing at her neck.

"I saw you guys holding hands. I saw you kiss her!"

"It's complicated." Yang muttered.

"Well, it's good to know you've got problems too." Ruby replied, folding up her scythe and attaching it to her belt.

"Hey, Blake and I are great! It's just, y'know, complicated."

"Sure Yang."

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, all I'm saying is, try not to get too emotional. If you just let things happen and don't force anything, you'll be fine."

"And… if she doesn't like me?"

"Then she's an idiot. Or my gaydar is super off." Yang replied gently.

Ruby blew out a slow breath. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. Besides, she's at least your friend, right? That's gotta count. I mean, Weiss doesn't have a lot of friends."

"Yang!"

"Well she doesn't!"

"Ugh…" Ruby sighed. "I don't even know why I put up with you."

"Because I'm gonna let you borrow my tux for your date?"

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "I knew there was a reason."

Weiss looked down, fiddling with the coffee cup in her hands. When her voice felt strong enough, she replied; "That's ridiculous."

Blake reached out, laying her hand on Weiss's side of the table. "So I'm wrong?"

"Alright, fine. Let's say - hypothetically of course - that I was… indirectly asking Ruby out." Weiss said, blushing furiously and hunching slightly in her seat. "Would that be a mistake?"

"Of course." Blake said calmly. "You should be up front with her." Before Weiss could protest, she raised a finger. "But, if you're still trying to figure things out, maybe it isn't the worst plan."

"So how will I know?" Weiss said quietly.

"If she likes you? That's basically on you." Blake replied. "As is knowing if you like her. There isn't some formula for this, Weiss."

"Well, there ought to be."

"Yes, well. You have a couple of days to figure this out before you see your sister. Try and relax, and tell me everything afterwards. I'll see if I can help you understand it."

"I'd really appreciate that." Weiss replied, making a halfhearted attempt at a smile.

"And now we both need to get to class." Blake said, standing. "It's almost nine."

"Why didn't you say something!"

Blake laughed as Weiss burst out of her seat, nearly running for the exit. "Remember what I said about relaxing?" She said, hurrying to catch up with the other girl.

After class, Weiss rushed back to the dorm. An entire day of agonizing over Ruby and what her reaction might be had left her unable to concentrate. She was beginning to dread the dinner, to regret bringing this up at all.

Ruby was already there, lying on her bed and throwing a rubber ball at the wall.

"Hey Weiss." She said, giving it another toss.

"Hello." Weiss replied. She stood at the door, shifting awkwardly. "So. We ought to talk about Wednesday."

"That's a good idea." Ruby threw the ball again.

"Is… everything alright?" Weiss said, taking a step closer.

"Huh? No, I'm great."

Weiss sat down on the bed next to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, if you don't want to do this, I'll tell Winter."

"No, that's not it." Ruby mumbled, leaning in slightly. "It's just… you said you thought she was right. Y'know, about not getting out much?"

"Are you asking if I'm going to start dating after this?"

"I… guess?"

Ruby gave the ball another toss. When it bounced back, she let it roll under the bed. "I don't want you to do this if you aren't ready. Or whatever."

Weiss smiled slightly. "Ruby, we've spent the past two years fighting monsters and criminals. If we go a month without risking our lives we receive a failing grade. And you're worried about this?"

Ruby laughed dryly. "I guess it is kinda funny. You're right, I should stop worrying." She gave Weiss a grin. "Besides, this might be fun."

"Well then, let's plan. We can spend a bit on it before we need to do homework."

"Alright. I thought of one bit that's really important." Ruby said, giving Weiss an incredibly serious look. "You've got to be able to kiss me."

"Um." Weiss moved back. "No."

"Um, yes." Ruby leaned forwards, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "C'mon, nobody will buy it if we don't make out a little." She indicated her lips, chapped and cherry red. "Plant 'em here."

Weiss was acutely aware of her burning face, her shallow breath, and the faint smell of Ruby, sweat and deodorant and machine oil. Before she could stop herself she leaned in, cupping Ruby's face with hand and clutching her shoulder in the other. Their lips met, and Weiss could taste Ruby's strawberry chapstick, feel her skin and tongue and warmth. She shifted closer, swinging a leg into Ruby's lap and leaning in, trying to capture as much of her as she could. Ruby moved in, hands snaking around her waist, giving her lip a little bite that made Weiss gasp. Then suddenly, Ruby pulled away.

"Weiss your thigh is somewhere… awkward…" Ruby panted, flicking her eyes downward. Weiss could feel her leg pressed between Ruby's thighs. Blushing, she jerked back, falling off the bed and landing on her ass.

"Sorry." She blurted, panting. "I'm so sorry-"

Ruby laughed breathlessly. "Whoa, whoa, calm down. That would have even fooled, I dunno, Blake." She giggled again. "Sorry. Words aren't working for me right now."

"Still, that was inappropriate." Weiss stood, brushing at her skirt. "I apologize."

"You do realize we're probably going to have to do that in front of your sister, right?" Ruby replied dryly.

"Wonderful." Weiss muttered. She backed away, sitting down heavily on her own bed.

"Okay, it's my turn to ask if you're alright." Ruby said, giving her a searching look. "Weiss, this isn't a big deal."

"Of course not." Weiss murmured, looking away. "I'm going to do homework now, if we're done."

Ruby looked at her a little longer, and then pulled out her Scroll.

"Yeah, Weiss. We're done." She said quietly.

Um... so this was the first thing I've written in a while. Obviously, thanks to Linira for betaing and making everything flow smoothly. Also, I just want to say that while reading the end she said "Damn, get it Weiss" and I was like "Pretty much." That was probably unnecessary, but it made me laugh.
I'm going to try and get another chapter up soonish, but in the meantime I'd love feedback on what I have so far. Comments are my favorite thing ever. So please, post a few!