Chapter Text
Ruby wandered through Vale Park, hands shoved in her favorite red hoodie pocket with one clutching a letter she was holding onto for Weiss and the other holding onto her phone. She was expecting a phone call from a nearby bar owner this afternoon, but hopefully they would wait to call later in the evening. Weiss was supposed to meet her at their favorite bench in the park, a tall oak tree providing just the perfect amount of shade and nuts for nearby squirrels and birds to congregate. It was their usual date spot made even better by all the bushes providing a sense of seclusion.
Well not quite date spot, they weren’t dating but if they were then they would totally meet here all the time between their two apartments and have cute picnics where Weiss would feed her chocolate-dipped strawberries and she’d feed Weiss something weird like a grapefruit and-
There were a million reasons why that daydream was never going to happen and now Ruby had made herself sad.
“Hello, Ruby!” Weiss called out from a distance.
Ruby perked up at the sound of her voice and turned her head to see Weiss sauntering over to her. Her heels clicked against the concrete path, Weiss’ white skirt swaying with every step and a button-up blouse underneath a baby blue cardigan. She couldn’t bare to stare into her best friend’s eyes for too long, painfully aware that it might be weird but she still quite hadn’t figured out the exact color of Weiss’ eyes other than they were a deep blue and she’d be lying if it didn’t bother her just a little.
She jumped off the bench and darted towards her best friend, all of her previous sadness dispelled. Weiss paused and watched Ruby with a slight grin on her face which Ruby knew was basically the same thing as Weiss giggling. “Weiss! I missed you! How have you been? Are you and Neptune still doing ok? What about your sleep schedule? Have you been eating-”
“Ruby.” Weiss grabbed Ruby by the shoulder with a gentle roll of her eyes before immersing Ruby into a hug, Weiss fitting perfectly underneath her chin and into the soft folds of her favorite red hoodie. “Breathe.”
Ruby inhaled, her nose buried in the crown of Weiss’ hair, and she smelled of lavender. Her breathing slowly fell in sync with Weiss’, the anxiety in her body slowly draining out of her as surely as warmth grew in her chest.
“Right. Sorry. Just a lot going on. I guess that's why we write letters, right?” Ruby laughed, mostly to herself, and reluctantly pulled away from Weiss. She pulled the letter, just a little crumpled around the edges, out of her hoodie pocket and handed it to Weiss. “Speaking of- Here you go, bestie!”
Weiss delicately grasped the letter, their hands brushing against one another’s for a fleeting moment, and Weiss held out her own letter with her customary red wax seal of a snowflake. “This is yours as always, Miss Rose.”
Ruby snagged the letter, fingers running along the embossed letter, and grinned as she slipped it into her hoodie pocket.“Thank you! Same time next week?”
Weiss’ brow furrowed. “I was hoping-”
Ruby’s pocket vibrated and she frowned, knowing that she needed to take this call as the band manager. She really wanted to see Weiss but unfortunately duty was literally calling.
“I'm really sorry, but I've gotta take this!” Ruby answered her phone and cradled it between her ear and shoulder, formed a small heart with her hands at Weiss, and scurried off back towards her apartment to keep the phone call going.
***
Ruby curled into her favorite blanket with corgis dressed in pajamas while in various poses, her first ever gift from Weiss. Her best friend had the opportunity of meeting Zwei when Summer and Rae had visited her and Yang over fall break her Freshman year. Weiss had fallen in love with Zwei at first sight, despite numerous protests that she disliked dogs, and first semester roommate Weiss was a lot different than end-of-senior year Weiss.
Ruby frowned at the thought. It wasn’t like she disliked first semester roommate Weiss! Just, maybe, end-of-senior year Weiss was a little more genuine and just a little less guarded around the people she liked.
Plus Weiss learned how to give great hugs now which was definitely an improvement as far as she was concerned.
She didn’t have a favorite Weiss, but start-of-senior year Weiss did have more time for her than end-of-senior year Weiss.
That was nice.
Yang was still convinced their parents made the trip from Patch to Vale that fall only because they were worried about how the two were doing on their own. Their moms didn’t like leaving Patch too often except to visit Uncle Tai and Qrow in Mistral.
Ruby’s stomach gurgled and that meant she needed to order food given that Yang and Blake were off on a date, with Yang coming back probably in like an hour or two. She’d text Weiss to see if she was free, but Weiss had seemed so busy earlier in the park and she didn’t want to bother her best friend.
Her phone vibrated in her sweatpants pocket and she exhaled an anticipated breath once she realized it was from Penny. She ignored the last few conversations they’d had as she scrolled down to the latest message and began reading.
CopperTellurium (CuTe): Would you mind assisting me with my presentation next week? I need a second pair of hands for the demonstration to properly work.
MusettasWaltz: What day is it?
CopperTellurium (CuTe): Friday evening at the Science Center.
MusettasWaltz: But I had practice scheduled with Blake and Yang, we have a show at Junior’s in two weeks.
CopperTellurium (CuTe): Please? You know how important this is to me and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't a graduation requirement.
MusettasWaltz: Are you sure nobody else can help?
CopperTellurium (CuTe): I've asked around. I didn't really want to bother you given, well, you know, but you're my only hope, Ruby-one Kenobi.
MusettasWaltz: That was pretty bad.
MusettasWaltz: But in that case, I'll lend a hand.
CopperTellurium (CuTe): Thank you so much, Ruby!
Fudge.
So much for band practice.
But, Ruby rubbed her eyes as she yawned, things had been weird with Penny since they had ended things and it was nice that they were slowly but surely getting back to normal.
***
Ruby drummed her fingers along her kneecaps as she took up half of the couch, an empty pizza box on the coffee table in front of her. She had a sinking feeling about the letter in her hoodie for some reason and she knew she was being ridiculous but she wanted to wait til Yang was around just in case she was right.
Yang was flanking her on the couch, embroiled in one of her fighting games taking up the TV screen. She wasn’t playing online where it mattered, she’d had one too many drinks out with Blake to tank her ranking like that, just practicing a character that Ruby didn’t quickly recognize.
Now that she had no excuse not to open Weiss’ letter, she pulled it out with her greasy fingers before tearing the envelope open and unfolding it.
Miss Rose,
I'm still on the hunt for a new apartment. As you know, that traitor Blake has decided to move in with you and Yang. Unfortunately I can't attend law school and live alone without drawing on my savings more than I'd like, so I need a roommate of my own.
Before you suggest it, Neptune and I split. It has been a few weeks actually, I know I didn’t mention it earlier but I suppose that I wanted to not think about it for a while... He wanted to see more of me and I couldn't promise that with my schedule. It wasn’t particularly serious from either of us, we both knew that, and if it wasn’t fun then there wasn’t any point in continuing on like we were. I can only imagine how much more intense law school will be in the fall and I must prioritize my time where it is most needed.
I am catching up on sleep now that most of my graduating requirements are met. I still have a few finals, but I don't suppose Vale U would reevaluate my admission if I walk away from my final semester with an A- or a B+ instead of a stellar, flawless record.
I don't quite know how to say this, I'm not good at these sorts of things, but I miss you. I am aware we often miss one another during the various school holidays where we don’t always see each other often, but we are both on campus currently and so this is a new feeling. I understand that we are both busy, I hope you aren’t upset by the acknowledgement, but I do not care for the current state of affairs.
I hope you can agree.
Forever your “bestie”,
Weiss
Ruby frowned as she skimmed over it again.
Weiss had broken up with Neptune and it had taken weeks for her to know.
Her bestie hadn’t even talked it over with Ruby, didn’t even try to find time for the two of them to chat afterwards and they’d seen each other a few times since so-
“Careful Roobaloo, I can see the smoke from over here.” Yang shook her head as her fingers tapped in rapid motion along the controller in her hands.
“Ha. Ha.” Ruby deadpanned.
“What’s on your mind?” Yang shot a glance her way before turning her attention back to the TV.
Ruby sighed. “Weiss broke up with Neptune.”
“That’s awesome!” Yang screamed at the news and the TV reading Fatality in bold, red letters dripping with blood.
“Yang!” She shouted back at her sister, slapping the controller out of her hand.
“Well it is!” Yang laughed.
“Just because Weiss is single-”
“Penny broke up with you because-”
“Because I couldn’t get over my crush.” Ruby dug her fingernails deep into the flesh of her palms. She sighed, her shoulders rolling with her as she tucked herself closer into the couch and her blanket. “I know, Yang.”
“This is your chance Rubes!” Yang was nearly giggling in excitement, for the life of her, Ruby couldn’t figure out why.
“She was single before Neptune and…” She clenched her teeth together to keep her voice even. “She didn’t even tell me for a few weeks.”
Ruby sucked in a deep breath, her bottom lip wobbling just a little as she refused to let herself be any more distraught in front of Yang. Her older sister had enough to worry about, she didn’t need to worry about Ruby’s childish crush on her best- on Weiss. “She calls me her bestie but what if she’s just humoring me at this point?”
“Blake didn’t know or she would’ve told me. I know for a fact she talks to you more than she does Blake and those two live together.” Yang stuck her tongue out of her mouth, more in attention at the TV than at the conversation at hand as she started another match. “Weiss has been busy with pre-law stuff, right?”
“We barely talk now as it is. She’s busy, I’m busy, and we’re both graduating soon.” “Like she said in her letter, she’s going to have even less time in law school next semester and I’ll be starting my own music therapy career. We aren’t going to have time to even be friends.”
“Ruby-”
“Don’t get my hopes up. Please.” She cut her older sister off, murmuring to herself as she retreated into the confines of her hoodie. Yang still wanted to treat her like a baby, but she was an adult and she could handle the truth.
Maybe they were growing apart.
Weiss was always so nice to her - of course she’d tell Ruby that she missed her because Weiss knew that’s what she wanted to hear.