Chapter Text
1
Six weeks. Weiss had lasted a month and a half without her teammates and now here she was, standing on their doorstep, contemplating whether her loneliness had finally outweighed her pride. It had been nice at first, having a little apartment to herself while she worked up the money to find a place long term. Her sleep schedule was no longer a myth and she didn’t have to worry about someone crawling into bed with her or listen to the creaking of her partner’s bunk bed.
But it was strange.
Weiss found herself missing the constant sound and motion that her teammates, even Blake, inevitably made. She missed having someone to talk to at night, when sleep wouldn’t come or the nightmares hovered just on the other side of consciousness.
And her apartment was so unsettlingly pristine! Some days she would leave a coat over the back of the couch or leave her bed unmade in the morning just to make it feel like someone actually lived there. She occasionally contemplated finding a roommate, a slightly messy one, so that she could nag them to clean up, even if she only ended up doing it herself. On those few occasions, she would remind herself that she could have a messy roommate, three in fact. Or at least two; Blake was pretty neat- not considering the shower drain.
Every time she would shake her head and conjure up all of the potential issues with that arrangement, ones that had already been prominent. Living with Yang was always noisy, Ruby had yet to develop and would likely never develop a sense of personal space, and Blake… okay, Blake was an excellent roommate, no arguing with that. But it would make dating tedious; gods only knew how Yang would torment any girlfriend she brought home and any dislike of Faunus would immediately put the girl on Blake’s shit list. Ruby was protective enough for both of them, her sister and her father and even Weiss would admit that Ruby holding Crescent Rose was a daunting sight, especially to a civilian.
Weiss tapped her toe on the doormat that read, ‘Hi, I’m Mat.’ She hadn’t a doubt in her mind that the two sisters had chosen that. And, she thought, there’s the issue of number of rooms.
When she had told them that she wasn’t interested, they had gone and rented a three room house rather than four. She had only seen the inside once when they had been searching for a place; Weiss had given this place her stamp of approval, in fact.
She licked her lips and raised her fist to knock, stopped, and shoved her hands in her pockets, turning to walk away. She made it three steps before she turned back, once again intent on knocking and once again deciding against it, though she made no move to leave this time.
The four of them talked every day or so, even when one or two or all three of them were on jobs. Sometimes they paired off, others they all went their own ways. Weiss had been working alone or with other, older Hunters who seemed to respect her well tested skills. It was late in the summer, but Weiss felt herself shudder. Dust, she missed being able to speak to them the moment she was overcome by memories.
Weiss swallowed hard and resolved to knock this time, but she was never given the chance.
The door was yanked open and she was tackled in a blur of rose petals. “Weiss, why didn’t you call? We’ve missed you so much!”
“Take it easy, dunce,” Weiss yelped, though her arms found purchase around Ruby’s waist. “I distinctly recall speaking with you yesterday.”
The scythe wielder jerked back, still clutching her former partner’s shoulders. “Yeah, but you didn’t say that you were visiting.” She physically dragged Weiss, who never resisted, into the house.
Blake and Yang were settled on the couch, the Faunus looking at her upside down, head on Yang’s lap. “I was wondering if you’d ever knock,” she said, wiggling her ears to make a point.
“I- I don’t mean to intrude,” Weiss started.
“And you’re not,” Yang cut in. “There’s a room for you. It’s the second door on the left upstairs.”
Ruby was practically bouncing, “And there’s a little room that you can use as an office, since you’re still working for your dad’s company. Blake and I were considering using it for a library, but we figured that we could fit all our books in our rooms.” She jabbed a finger at her sister, “Yang and I are sharing the master and she can fit pretty much everything in her dresser or the closet, so we’ve got plenty of space.”
Weiss waved her hands, flustered but secretly touched. “I never said anything about moving in!”
“Never had to,” Blake said, mouth curling into a smile. “All you had to do was show up. We’ve been waiting the whole time.”
Yang grinned at the heiress who was growing redder by the second, “I wanted to place bets on when you’d finally come, but Ruby said that if you found out you’d refuse on principle.”
“And I would have,” Weiss muttered. She glanced over at Ruby, who still hung on her arm. “Thanks for sparing my dignity,” she said softly.
The answering smile warmed Weiss’s stomach. “I didn’t want you to be alone again.” She reddened slightly, “Not that your girlfriend isn’t good company… I’m just glad you’re home,” Ruby managed. “Did you bring everything over, or do we have to make another trip?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.
And the noise started up again, Weiss explaining that she hadn’t brought anything, expecting that this would only be a visit. Yang loudly complained about being used as a luggage mule, though she had yet to move from the couch, while Blake simply grabbed her own car keys so that they could get more in one run.
Home, Weiss thought as the four bickered in the doorway, I think I could get used to this.
~
“Wait,” Winter said slowly, the gears in her head visibly whirring. “You moved where?”
Weiss idly recited the address, a lower middle class area not an hour’s drive from the city. What it lacked in status and refinement it made up for in genial neighbors (according to the others, at least) and a competent mailwoman, a cute shepherd Faunus who had paused to introduce herself when Weiss followed Ruby out to the mailbox. Safe to say that the three bedroom, one and half bath home had grown on her.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” her sister grumbled accusingly. “I thought that you liked your apartment; it was a bit pricey for a beginning Huntress, but I know that you were making more than enough to keep it up. Did one of your former teammates coerce you into it?”
“There was no coercion, Winter,” the heiress sighed. She looked down at her scroll, taking in her sister’s consternation. “You never missed living with your teammates?”
The elder Schnee rolled her eyes, “My team was nothing like yours. They were underachieving, unmotivated, half-rate trainees and they are underachieving, unmotivated, half-rate Hunters. If I speak to them today, it’s to tell them how badly they have failed or how they could have done better. Team RWBY…” Her expression morphed into something one part bemused and one part appreciative. “I don’t think there’s been a group like yours in years.”
“So why are you so surprised?” Weiss asked in exasperation.
Winter shifted in her seat, bringing the scroll a bit closer to give Weiss a deliberate look. “You have a girlfriend. One that you seem to like very much; I can’t imagine she’ll be too happy about you being forty-five minutes away, living with beautiful women that you love and trust, even platonically.”
Weiss straightened, pushing back her shoulders, “If Olive is jealous of my closest friends, she’s the one with the problem, not me. Besides, we haven’t been together a whole month now, it might end when I see her this weekend for all we know.
“Speaking of ending things,” she continued mischievously, “Have you finally informed Mr. Branwen that one night stands are meant to last only one night?”
Her sister’s face promised a violent death.
~
“So,” Weiss said on her first official night at the house, “What’s for dinner?”
It had been a long, trying day filled with cursing and swollen toes and Blake’s acerbic humor, but she was here. Her room was settled, wardrobe put away exactly where she liked, and her furniture- the things that hadn’t come with her rented apartment- was no worse for the wear. Even so, she had no qualms with cleaning up after or fixing dinner herself.
There was silence all around. Ruby ducked her head in embarrassment, Yang had the decency to look a little sheepish, and Blake pointed to the refrigerator, not deigning to look up from her novel, “Four different take out menus. Take your pick. Get me something with fish.”
The heiress’s eye twitched. “Have you three been eating take out the entire time you were here?”
Three heads bobbed, Ruby jumping to explain, “Well, I can bake, but I never really learned how to make regular food, you know? And I’m still kinda getting the hang of it. Blake doesn’t know how, but she knows some awesome take out places. And, well, Yang burns water.”
The blonde nodded emphatically.
“Lovely,” Weiss said, a vein throbbing in her temple. “What’s in the fridge- besides water and soda?”
“Uh, a six pack, some apples, and I think we have lunchmeat,” Yang offered. “Not sure how good it is.” She leaned forward in her seat, looking at Weiss with some concern, “Weiss? You alright there?”
A crack split the air- the snap of Weiss’s fingers- and the three couch-sitters all jumped in their seats. “Okay, everyone up; we’re going to the grocery store.” And Weiss was tapping furiously on her scroll, pounding out a list of necessities. The others just stared at her. She snapped again, “Move, girls. Tonight, I’m showing you how to make spaghetti with meat sauce and salads.”
“Will this be on the test?” Yang asked flippantly.
The pale woman gave her a withering glare, “Thank you, Yang, for volunteering to do dishes this week.” Icy eyes searched the other two, “Any questions?”
They shook their heads.
“So, move,” she ordered.
They obeyed, though Weiss caught what might have been, “Can we kick her out now?”
Of course, none of them complained an hour and a half later as they moaned in pleasure over their first homemade meal in months.