Chapter 68

"Mmmmmn…" Summer just about moaned as she opened the oven, the thick, hot scent of baked cookie and melted chocolate washing over her, and hitting Weiss like a pillow to the face. "God I'll never get tired of that."

"I think I just gained weight." Weiss joked.

"Worth it, worth it, worth it." Summer chanted as she moved the tray onto a cooling rack.

"Is this what it's like to be Ruby?" Weiss wondered aloud, closing her eyes and drawing in more of the scent. It's richness almost made her tingle...well, maybe it did a little.

"Ruby is a sweet seeking missile, and nothing in the world makes me happier than indulging that." Summer smiled.

"I know what you mean." Weiss agreed.

"I bet you do." Summer smirked. "Now imagine the look on Ruby's cute little face when she bites into this." She turned around, plate in hand, two fresh cookies upon it. One was sliced in half, oozing its contents onto the plate.

"There's something obscene about this image." Weiss noted.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Summer admired. "And fulfilling. We made this Weiss. We made this happen. Now enjoy the spoils of our efforts." She took half the cookie, blowing to cool it down before taking a large bite. "Mnngh."

"These can't be healthy." Weiss observed.

"Mng, not in the slightest, delicious though." Summer confirmed. "Go on, indulge."

"...These are going straight to my thighs." Weiss lamented, taking the other half and biting in. They were even better fresh baked.

"Worth it, every pound gained, worth it." Summer insisted. "Besides, a little cushion won't hurt you. Ruby tells me you borderline starve yourself."

"As opposed to stuffing my face with anything vaguely sweet?" Weiss shot back.

"As opposed to having three healthy meals a day." Summer countered. "Ruby pays attention to your diet Weiss. It's healthy, but not enough."

"You sound like Blake." Weiss said.

"Well, Blake has the right idea." Summer continued. "You and Winter both, shutting yourselves in your rooms, eating quick light meals. You're like stick figures, beautiful stick figures, but even so. Winter looks more healthy every day. Her cheeks are filling out, and so are...other things." Summer flushed. "A few weeks time with my cooking and you'll be the same."

Weiss finished her half of the cookie, and looked down at herself. Her outfit was casual today, jeans and a long sleeved top. Unlike other days she neglected to wear a padded bra, and until now she had not thought about it. Her legs were thinner than she remembered, wrists painfully bony, and her collarbones - which Ruby occasionally paid an embarrassing amount of attention to - jutted a little too harshly beneath her skin. She had never really given much thought to it, that her lack of weight may be contributing to her somewhat lacking appearance. Perhaps she could stand to gain a few pounds. After all, Ruby and Summer looked amazing. Yang looked amazing, and even late in her pregnancy, Nora looked amazing too. Maybe she could stop wearing padded bras!

"I'd appreciate that Summer." Weiss smiled. "I never gave it much thought."

"Don't worry, I'll have you plumped up in no time, starting now." Summer held out the place, the second cookie steaming before her.

Weiss felt her teeth cry. "I'm full for now Summer, thank you."

The door opened, and the thudding of feet was the only warning Weiss had to brace herself before a crimson missile slammed into her, hugging her until her feet left the ground. "Weeeeeeeeeis, let's go on a date!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hurgh, okay Ruby please I can't breathe!" Weiss choked, gasping as Ruby dropped her, giggling.

"Awesome!" Ruby cheered. "First dibs on the shower!" Pecking Weiss on the lips, Ruby dashed off to her room, leaving Weiss a little shellshocked.

Blake approached, pulled Weiss into another hug, this one gentler, but also damper. "Hey beautiful." Blake murmured.

"You smell." Weiss jabbed, but did not pull away.

"So do you." Blake smirked. "Been baking have we?"

"Hmph...Summer did the baking, I merely helped." Weiss replied. "Where are we going?"

"You and Ruby?" Blake responded. "It's a surprise. I'm spending some quality time with Yang and Pyrrha."

Weiss pulled back, looking confused. "Why?"

"They asked me first, and you two haven't had a date yet." Blake leaned down, bumping her forehead against Weiss', planting a kiss on her nose. "I want you to enjoy yourselves together, have a good night out, eat, drink, love." She cupped Weiss' cheek, directing her into a kiss, short but no less sweet. "And I'll go take pictures of Yang if she gets drunk, deal?"

"Deal." Weiss murmured, dazed, lost in Blake's eyes. "Heh, I never noticed before."

"What?" Blake asked.

"Your eyes are golden, Ruby's are silver." Weiss observed, smiling. "You're perfect for each other."

"We're perfect for you...draped in silver and gold like the princess you are." Blake teased.

"Oh shush, that nickname is staying in high school where it belongs." Weiss huffed.

"Are you saying you don't want Ruby to kneel before you?" Blake pressed. "To kiss your feet? And your legs…" Blake nipped at Weiss' ear, making her shiver as she purred. "Between them."

"I'll need a cold shower if you don't stop." Weiss whimpered.

"Hmm, I'm tempted." Blake reached down to squeeze Weiss' rear, digging her nails in, eliciting a gasp.

"You're evil." Weiss growled.

Blake smirked. "Muahahaha."

Not long afterward, Ruby finished her shower, calling out and dashing into the bedroom. Weiss had to tear herself away from the image of Ruby slipping off her towel before she did something drastic. She resisted, poorly, thinking about it as she washed. Her shower was longer than Ruby's, as expected. Ruby was quite quick when alone, Weiss took greater care of her body, and her hair, short as it was. She spent no less time washing its cropped fur than her formerly lengthy locks. She was still conflicted about the look. Combined with her thin hips and flat chest, she could easily pass as a boy now...maybe that was a turn on to Ruby? Did she wish Weiss was a boy? No, that was stupid. Ruby liked her for who she was, even if she felt inadequate, Ruby never judged, her gaze always loving, her touch gentle, it made her heart melt.

Weiss eventually finished, heading back to find Blake alone in the room, a set of clothes laid out upon the bed, and their makeup kit on the dresser. With her help, Weiss found herself well dressed and made up in no time. Her attire was notably different from usual. Blake had picked out a short black pencil skirt that she rarely wore on formal occasions. Normally Weiss preferred dresses, but if she desired a more stern appearance it came in handy. Beneath it she wore thick black tights, already normal for her in these colder months. Her top was a pale blue button up, tastefully unbuttoned to show off her collar - at Blake's suggestion - and to cap it all off, black high heels, enough to ensure Ruby remained shorter than her, even if she wore heels or platforms of her own.

"Hold still a moment." Blake ordered, reaching around Weiss' neck to fasten a pendant in place. The small silver apple was an old, but cherished gift from her mother. "There, perfect, every last inch of you." Blake admired, pecking her on the forehead.

"I look...dashing?" Weiss observed, looking herself up and down in the mirror.

Blake chuckled, pecking Weiss again on the temple. "You look beautiful Weiss, strong, intelligent, powerful. Ruby will love it."

"You think?" Weiss asked.

"I know." Blake confirmed. "Now come on, she's waiting in the kitchen, trying not to spoil her appetite."

Blake pulled Weiss out of the room, escorting her to the living room where she found herself froze, jaw dropping. "Hey Weiss, whaddaya' think?" Ruby asked. She twirled around, her black miniskirt showing just a little shy of a tasteful amount of thigh. Weiss nearly drooled as she took in Ruby's attire. Ruby had always loved black and red, but until now never showed off her gothic side. Long leather combat boots complemented dark stockings, the black skirt was rimmed in red, and led to an unsurprisingly black corset, which combined with the white undershirt to form a…

"Is that a boob window?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered. "I saw it online and thought it was so cool, so I ordered one and it arrived before I got here!"

"You look...amazing Ruby." Weiss admired, approaching her partner to pull her into an embrace.

"I wasn't sure if you'd like it." Ruby murmured, leaning into Weiss' arms. "I don't dress like this much anymore."

"I love it...I love you." Weiss whispered, planting a kiss against Ruby's cheek.

Ruby was silent for a moment. "I love you too Weiss." She pulled back to meet Weiss' surprised gaze. "I'm sorry I haven't said it enough. I wanted to mean it, forgive me?"

Weiss choked a laugh, and caught Ruby in a fiery kiss. "Forgive you? I love you, you silly dolt. I would have waited forever to hear you say that." She kissed Ruby again, and Ruby had to pull away, laughing.

"Weiss, we're messing up our lipstick!" Ruby warned.

"We've got plenty to spare!" Weiss countered.

"Not if you keep smearing it all over each other." Winter suddenly snarked from the kitchen doorway. Weiss tried to jerk away but Ruby kept a firm grip, giggling.

"Come on you two." Summer smirked from beside Winter. "They won't hold the reservation forever." Weiss blushed a deep red.

"And I need to redo your makeup." Blake sighed.

"They're just going to mess it up again." Winter chuckled.

"Winter." Weiss admonished.

Ruby drove the car toward Signal. It was odd, Weiss had never once thought of Ruby as a driver, having a license, sitting behind the wheel of a car. Something about the image just seemed weird, but here they were, in the white sedan they had borrowed from Summer. Weiss admired Ruby from the passenger's seat as she bobbed her head to the stereo, playing some music from her scroll, something harsh and punk. The music was not to Weiss' usual taste, but lively and understandable enough to be tolerable. At least it was not Winter's screeching racket.

"Watchya' thinkin' about?" Ruby piped up.

"Dinner." Weiss fibbed.

"Oh, I'm hungry too." Ruby noted. "Raven ran me through some practice drills and I only had an energy bar for lunch."

"Drills?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, some grapples, strikes and throws, self-defense stuff." Ruby explained. "Raven always tried to encourage me to learn, but until now I never really wanted to." Ruby reached over with her free hand, taking Weiss' and squeezing it. "Next time someone messes with me, I wanna' be able to defend myself."

"You shouldn't have to." Weiss lifted Ruby's hand to plant a kiss on it.

"No one should, it sucks, but that's life." Ruby shrugged. "Gotta' roll with the punches, so says Yang."

"I thought she preferred spanking." Weiss snarked.

"Pfft, I was gonna' say something, but you didn't, so I thought oh well, that happened." Ruby chuckled.

"She was very firm." Weiss noted. "She's definitely...had practice."

Ruby laughed again.

Yang decided the perfect venue for the girls' night out would be Junior's. She had always liked the club, but had not been since the unpleasantness with her one night stand. She wanted to show off her sweet new arm to Junior and the Twins anyway. After a short drive, the trio arrived to find the club was not a busy as usual. On most nights it was packed, but it seemed the holidays had thinned the crowd out a bit. Yang walked straight up to the bar with Blake and Pyrrha in tow.

"Hey Blondie." Junior greeted. "It's been a while...again." He turned around to mix a drink.

"Yeah, I've had a lot going on." Yang responded. "But now I'm rearmed and ready to rock."

"That's a nice piece of tech." Junior glanced back over his shoulder. "Must have cost a fortune."

"Nope." Yang said. "Beta testing has its advantages."

"Well, it's good to have you back and two-handed." Junior turned back around, placing a strawberry sunrise on the bar before Yang. "Just don't ask me to arm wrestle." He pushed the glass forward. "This one's on the house."

"Oh, no I'm designated driver tonight." Yang pushed the glass back.

"You, designated driver?" Junior raised an eyebrow. "You've changed Blondie."

"For the better, mostly." Yang smirked.

"So what am I supposed to do with this drink?" Junior asked.

Yang glanced at Blake and Pyrrha. "I'll give it a try." Blake volunteered. "I'm not big on mixed drinks, but it looks good."

"Junior, meet my girlfriend Pyrrha, and my sister's girl Blake." Yang introduced.

"Be careful, Blondie's a bad influence." Junior warned. "And she threw a hell of a punch before the robot arm." He watched as Blake downed her drink. "Want another?" Blake nodded. "How about you?"

"I'll have a screwdriver." Pyrrha replied.

"You guys gonna' find a table or hang out here?" Junior asked, starting to mix the drinks.

Yang looked to Pyrrha and Blake. "Let's grab a table." Pyrrha suggested.

"Okay, I'll have someone bring it over." Junior nodded.

Blake and Pyrrha headed off in search of a table, leaving Yang alone at the bar. "The Twins here tonight?" Yang asked. "I wanna' show off my new arm."

"Yeah, they're around here somewhere." Junior replied. "So, your sister's girl, you bring her here to soften her up for a little interrogation?"

"Nah, we're just here to have fun." Yang answered. "I trust her."

"You're going soft Blondie." Junior teased.

Yang laughed. "Yeah, but that's probably for the best."

Parking in a lot down the street, Ruby and Weiss donned jackets and walked hand-in-hand to their destination, Ruby leading the way. In the frigid air her hand felt heavenly, Weiss wanted nothing more than to pull her close and never let go. But there would be time for that later. Ruby was almost skipping in her excitement, eyes bright and full of mirth. "And here we are!" Ruby stopped, gesturing to the property in front of them.

At first glance the place seemed like an old fashioned restaurant, but with a much darker tone. Gazing through the window, Weiss was able to see a rich interior, various shades of red glowed in the soft amber light, cast equally by the stained glass lamps that hung from the ceiling, and candelabra on the tables. All the tables seemed to be crafted of a dark stained wood. Mahogany, Weiss would have guessed.

"Wow...this is...upscale." Weiss admired.

"It's so cool!" Ruby cheered. "I never knew it existed until mum told me about it!"

"Summer came here?" Weiss tried to picture Summer in Ruby's outfit...that was probably a bad idea.

"Raven and Glynda took her." Ruby explained. "Apparently it's popular in the S&M community."

Weiss took note of some of the guests, many of whom were wearing similar attire, or more traditional variants, to Ruby. They were both male and female, but distinctly more of the latter. Weiss suddenly felt underdressed. "I can see why."

"Do you like it?" Ruby asked. "I wasn't sure if you'd be intereste-"

Weiss cut Ruby off with a kiss. "It looks wonderful my dear, shall we enter?" She grinned, bumping her nose against Ruby's.

"Y-yeah, yes, we shall, enter, the uh...abode." Ruby stammered as Weiss chuckled, allowing herself to be drawn inside.

Stepping inside, the pair were met by the greeter behind a podium. Ruby stated her reservation, and they were escorted to a table near the rear of the establishment. It was not the biggest, nor the smallest of places Weiss had dined in, but it was certainly one of the cosiest. The dark, warm atmosphere felt comforting, their seats were lined with plush velvet, and privacy curtains flanked their table on three sides. It was like being in a luxury tent, almost, just her and Ruby, camping, alone…

"Something saucy on your mind?" Ruby teased.

"Hum?" Weiss snapped out of her daydream.

Ruby smirked. "You're biting your lip, staring off at nothing. I think you even drooled a little."

"I did not!" Weiss snapped, scandalized, reaching up to touch her lips. They were dry.

"Made you check!" Ruby laughed.

Weiss pouted, kicking Ruby lightly beneath the table. "Tease."

A waitress chose that moment to approach, though from her dress, butler would have been a more fitting descriptor, even though she was female. The waitress was tall, pale, with crimson curls tied in a loose ponytail. "Good evening." She greeted smoothly, laying two menus before the couple. "Tonight's special is Mistrali Curry. Would you like something to drink?"

"I'll have a strawberry soda please." Ruby ordered.

"And I'll have a…" Weiss scanned the beverage list. There were several soft drinks, mineral water, then an impressive list of cocktails, and an even more impressive list of wines that made her almost drool for real this time. "Hmm...I'll just have a glass of water for now, thank you."

"Are you sure?" Ruby pressed. "Mum says the wine here is great!"

"There are some nice brands here, but it's rather rude to drink when you can't." Weiss noted.

"Oh pfft, don't worry about that, we're here to celebrate!" Ruby insisted. She turned to the waitress. "Could I get my soda in a wineglass?"

"Of course." The waitress grinned.

Weiss sighed, barely resisting a grin of her own. "I'll have a glass of Atlesian Weiss, please."

"Wait, that exists?" Ruby wondered as the waitress scribbled on her notepad.

"A fine choice." The waitress praised. "I keep a bottle at home for special occasions. I'll leave you to browse the menu and return with your drinks."

"Thank you!" Ruby chirped, shooting the waitress another smile before flipping through the menu's pages. "I love curry, but maybe I should try something different, something I've never had before."

"They have good variety." Weiss observed. "Hmm, why don't we order for each other?" Weiss archer her brow over the menu.

Ruby's face lit up. "Ooh, great idea!"