Chapter Text
Ilia sighed as she walked down the street with her luggage trolly trailing behind her.
In retrospect quitting her job and leaving everything behind in Menagerie on a maybe was a really really stupid idea. She’d been so sure that after meeting Yang she could easily slide into their lives as their third.
Blake had been kind and known of her feelings for years so when she’d called saying that Yang had agreed to try things out for a week she’d been over the broken moon about it.
Blake had greeted her warmly as had Yang. The first night they’d simply spent time together as friends. Ilia hadn’t minded as she knew it was new for them and was the first night. She’d been sure she could charm them both with the week she’d been given.
Only it hadn’t worked out that way. She’d spent time with Blake and Yang separately and together but something hadn’t felt right with either.
Blake felt like she was withdrawing from her slightly when Yang wasn’t around, and she and Yang never really hit it off.
She couldn’t even blame Yang as the girl was clearly trying her hardest and hadn’t withdrawn from her. While Yang was attractive there wasn’t any spark of romance she felt with her. It honestly felt more like hanging around with an older sister than a potential romantic partner. She’d even confessed as much to Yang today who’d told her she’d felt the same only it was more akin to her younger sister.
She’d even gone a step further and told her that if Blake wanted to date her then she’d step aside and let her do so making Ilia realize that she truly loved Blake with all her heart, and made her feel like an incredible heel for trying to force her way into their lives because of a childhood crush or rather obsession she’d never let go of.
She’d ended up crying into the girl’s bomber jacket as she gently soothed her and carried her to the guest room she was staying in. After she’d gotten herself under control she’d quietly asked Yang to help her pack.
Yang had done so reluctantly and had stopped her to ask about her living situation since she’d stupidly told them about what she’d done to get here.
She’d been honest and Yang had insisted on letting her pay for a hotel at least for her and she’d turned the offer down cold. While she appreciated the thought she’d already butted into their lives enough and wouldn’t impose on them financially just because she’d made a terrible decision.
Yang was however persuasive and had eventually talked her into spending at least a few days with a friend of Blake’s and her sister while she got her feet under her.
The blonde-haired “tough girl” then gave her a comforting hug and asked again if she was sure she wanted to go before she wished her “little sister” well after Ilia had insisted on walking since it was a short walk to her new potential home.
She’d made sure the tears hadn’t fallen until she was out of the building. Yang was good for Blake. She blamed herself the most in all honesty. She’d seen Blake so infrequently and badgered her, or near enough when she was around to give her a chance, and Blake had relented most likely knowing the end result.
She’d been trying to impose her feelings on them but no more. Blake would be free to be with Yang without Ilia coming between them. After spending time with Yang she honestly didn’t want to.
She’d at first thought it a short fling or another human that might degrade her Faunus friend in private, but Yang had shattered every misconception or notion Ilia had secretly wished were true.
Maybe she’d be able to go back to being friends with them one day but for now, she just wanted to meet the friends of Yang’s that she’d be living with for lack of a better option.
She didn’t have that much money that she could afford to stay in a hotel long-term, nor would she want to, and heading home with her metaphorical tail between her legs was also out of the question.
Coming to a modest home nestled at the end of the commercial district she blinked and double-checked the address. It was the correct one. To afford to purchase a home here the owners must be rather wealthy. No wonder Yang had said they wouldn’t mind putting her up for a few days.
She lugged her meager two suitcases on a trolly after herself up the short walkway to the house past several lawn ornaments that looked like monsters from the Cold Creeps book she’d enjoyed as a guilty pleasure even though they were intended for children. Supposedly the author was coming out with a more adult version of the books soon. She’d been wanting to look into it but hadn’t found the time to do so yet.
She pushed down her nerves and knocked on the door only to hear a peppy “Coming!” from inside the house. Well, at least they sounded like happy people.
The door opened to reveal what Ilia would admit was a rather attractive woman wearing a red hoodie and a pair of shorts with snowflakes on them making Ilia wonder if the woman even knew what the temperature was. Her black hair was ruffled and ended with red tips. Strangely enough, her smile reminded her of Yang’s. Bright and full of life, perhaps even more so than Yang. This would be the sister then.
“Ruby slow down. We aren’t all speed freaks like you are,” Chastised a more refined voice as they came to the door.
“Hello I’m Weiss and you must be Ilia. Pleased to meet you. Blake has talked about you for years! Come on in,” The aforementioned Weiss waved her on in with a smile before she could argue and held out one of Ilia’s bags for Ruby to take, which she did with no visible effort showing that she was much stronger than Ilia had thought.
As Weiss closed the door behind her she began more proper introductions.
“As I said I’m Weiss Schnee for the time being at least,” Weiss said as she cast a glance towards Ruby and smiled. “This dolt is Ruby Rose,” Weiss gestured to the girl at her side who waved so vigorously that Ilia felt compelled to smile and send a wave back which seemed to make the girl’s day.
“You said you’re Weiss… Schnee?” Ilia asked, making sure she had the correct one in front of her.
The alabaster beauty nodded. Even if she hadn’t said it the looks confirmed her heritage just as her choice of a relaxed pair of jeans and a blue cardigan sweater confirmed she was the only Schnee Ilia would willingly associate with.
“Yes. I hope that’s not a problem. If it is, I can find a way to make myself scarce while you’re staying as our guest,” Weiss offered only for Ilia to correct her.
“No, no no. You’re fine. You’re the only one of your family I’d stay with. I appreciate everything you’re doing helping with Faunus rights,” Ilia explained hurriedly as Ruby began snickering beside Weiss prompting them both to look at her for an explanation.
“S-she she said you were fine ,” Ruby giggled as Ilia felt herself flush as Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Ruby sometimes I swear I think you’re twelve,” Weiss said as she tried to look sternly at the giggling goober.
“I hope you weren’t thinking that last niiiiight!” Ruby sing-songed as Weiss’s face erupted into a full blush and Ilia felt herself follow suit imagining the two attractive women in less clothing. Still, she had to admit it was rather funny so she giggled a bit as her skin settled back into its normal state.
“That’s so cool!” Ruby declared as she looked over Ilia’s skin and face rather closely, making Ilia tense a small bit before Weiss pulled her back and away from Ilia’s personal space.
“Excuse her. She means well but doesn’t always think about what she’s doing,” Weiss apologized as Ruby pouted which she somehow managed to pull off despite being an adult.
“We were about to have dinner soon and there’s more than enough to share. Would you like a chance to wash up and then eat something with us?” Weiss offered the choice to Ilia who thought about declining before realizing she hadn’t eaten much all day and shyly accepted the offer.
“Wonderful. Ruby can show you to the guest room, and then I’ll set a plate for you. Are you allergic to anything?” Weiss asked in concern and Ilia shook her head a little baffled at how kind these people were as she followed Ruby who easily took both of her bags with a smile and began walking off.
Logically she’d known that Weiss wasn’t like her family. Her older sister had joined the military but hadn’t done much after that, seemingly content to simply escape her father which Ilia could empathize with to a degree.
Weiss however had taken the opposite approach and completed every task her father laid before her and once she’d inherited the company on her twenty-first birthday the first thing she’d done was set about having him investigated and arrested while she herself managed to oust the more corrupt board members.
She’d then replaced them with those who supported equal rights for all and several Faunus were now on the board of the Schnee Electric Corp. She’d continued making strides towards equality for Faunus and had started or donated to numerous charities.
All in all, it was this radical and extremely strong push for Faunus equalization that had stayed the White Fang’s hand from turning more violent out of frustration at not having their voices heard.
They continued to protest but from what she understood Sienna had met with Weiss and they were now working together for the betterment of all. She’d even turned over a few of the more militant members of the White Fang such as Adam who were set on a course for violence regardless of the cost it would take on their movement.
Things looked better for the Faunus than they had in a long time and Ilia was willing to overlook her last name because she’d proven herself a good person who was making it mean something good again.
She followed Ruby into the room who gave her a bright smile, placed her luggage on the bed, and offered a playful salute which Ilia felt compelled to return if only because Ruby seemed to adore it when she played along.
“After you’re settled in, feel free to come downstairs and eat. We’ll wait for you! No two ways about it!” Ruby said cutting off Ilia’s protest.
“Are you…sure?” Ilia asked and Ruby nodded enthusiastically at her.
“Sure am! Weiss and I love having guests and we’ve been wanting to meet you for years!” Ruby declared to Ilia’s confusion.
“But…why?”
“When we met Blake back in high school she talked about you. How you could be impulsive but were more passionate than anyone she’d ever known for Faunus rights, and how you always wanted to do the right thing. She said you were a great friend and so we’ve been wanting to meet you ever since!” Ruby explained as she flung her arms open wide in a dramatic gesture for some reason Ilia couldn’t fathom.
“She…doesn’t like me that much,” Ilia said bitterly even as she knew that wasn’t Blake’s fault.
She was startled as she felt a hand on her shoulder and found herself looking into silver eyes that were much closer than she’d thought they’d be.
“I’m sorry Ilia. I know Blake really does like you, but not the way you wanted. She kinda confessed that to us earlier this week when you were hanging out with Yang,” Ruby said delicately.
“I…figured as much. I spoke with Yang earlier and left because I realized that as much as I chased after and idolized her I didn’t really know her other than the idea I had in my head from when we were kids. Yang is a really great person too I just…don’t fit in,” Ilia said despondently.
“Hey now! None of that. You don’t fit in with them but there’s someone or someones out there that are the perfect fit for you! You’re pretty and from what Blake told us really clever, plus we know you’re super passionate about the stuff you care for! Those are all really good qualities to look for in a partner!” Ruby assured her as Ilia flushed under Ruby’s sincere and effusive praise never having been good at or used to receiving compliments.
“Y-you really mean that?” Ilia hated herself for sounding so weak and child-like.
“Trust me she does,” Came a voice from behind them as Ilia felt even more embarrassed that someone else heard her sounding so pathetic. Even if it was the good Schnee.
“Ruby has almost no filter. If she thinks something she says it regardless of the consequences…for either of us,” Weiss said, her eyes narrowing playfully at Ruby.
“Oh come on Weiss that was years ago,” Ruby nervously rubbed the back of her head and looked towards Ilia for a save even though she had no idea what she was supposed to do in this situation.
“Ruby, when my sister asked you how you enjoyed your stay at our home in high school, you told her she had the best bed for fooling around with Weiss in ,” Weiss retorted, her eyes still narrowed.
“I thought she knew and didn’t want to lie!” Ruby wailed dramatically as Ilia tried and failed to stifle the laughter bubbling up from her throat.
Only after they both looked at her did she realize what she was doing but to her surprise rather than snap they both joined in.
“Uh, is the food on fire?” Ruby asked after a minute and Weiss waved dismissively.
“Nothing of the sort. I simply realized we can eat it tomorrow and put it away. I did however find a large tub of ice cream, some spoons, and some terrible movies for us to watch and waste the evening if you’d care to join us Ilia?” Weiss extended the offer to the girl.
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to get in the way,” Ilia responded, trying not to jump on the chance too quickly as she turned around to face Weiss.
“Nah this is nice Weiss! She likes spending time with people. Besides, we already told you we wanted to meet you for a while!” Ruby said from behind her.
“Indeed. When you are a guest in this house we won’t leave you alone unless you wish for it. We treat you as one of the family here,” Weiss said to reassure Ilia who accepted with a nod as Ruby cheered and Weiss gave her a gentle smile.
Ruby looped her arm with Ilia and gently dragged her along ignoring Weiss’s plea’s that she at least ask before she kidnapped someone.
To her credit, after arriving in the living room she did ask and Ilia could barely stammer out an “It’s ok,” with her face totally red after being so close to the attractive woman.
Of course, telling her it was fine only caused the girl to glomp her in a hug which hadn’t helped Ilia's mental state at all.
Thankfully Weiss had appeared and pulled her off Ilia and made her go get the ice cream to give Ilia a bit of space.
“Again I’m sorry about her. She’s just…exuberant. And we really have been looking forward to meeting you for a while now,” Weiss apologized as Ilia just nodded and tried to smile. She wasn’t sure if she managed it completely but Weiss seemed happy with it as Ruby came literally skipping back into the room with an enormous tub of ice cream.
“Ok, so this is the triple flavor tub! Do you like chocolate?” Ruby asked Ilia as if it was the most important question of her life.
Thankfully she did like chocolate and said as much as Ruby smiled and handed her a spoon.
“Finally! We’ve been trying to find a chocolate buddy for ages! Weiss likes vanilla cause she’s boring,” Ruby said and dodged the cushion only to get nailed by the follow-up and sputter as she removed it from her face and continued. “Anyway I like strawberry and that leaves the chocolate all for you ice cream buddy!” Ruby said as she sat the tub in between Ilia's seat on the couch as she sat down next to her and Weiss leaned over to select a movie to put into the disc tray.
Ilia felt herself heat up as the Schnee, or rather Weiss, seemed content to weigh the pros and cons of each movie as she bent over the chest containing all the films. She then slowly took the box and read it before removing the disc and inserting it into the tray bent over the entire time.
She only realized that she was staring…intently when Ruby elbowed her gently. She expected a harsh reprimand or perhaps even being expelled from the house but instead got an understanding nod.
“I know right? She’s totally doing it on purpose,” Ruby whispered and Ilia shoved a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth so she wouldn’t say anything stupid as Ruby followed suit beside her as Weiss turned around and walked back to the couch and retrieved her spoon.
Ilia was unable to recall much of the movie, only that it had been as bad as promised. What she did remember were the amusing stories from the couple on either side of her that they brought up when something tangentially related in the movie happened. They’d even managed to coax a few stories out of Ilia. It was…strange.
She’d expected to feel like an outsider after what had happened with the other two. Despite Blake and Yang’s best efforts, it had never really felt like she belonged there. Conversation was had but it wasn’t about anything substantial, or for any reason more like going through the motions which was what she’d been expecting tonight.
Ruby and Weiss had seemed as genuine as they came and almost always made sure she was included in the conversation and seemed to want to know her thoughts and what she had to say and asked about her interest in regards to anything that came up.
In fact with Weiss’s kind directness and Ruby’s lack of boundaries and seemingly limitless energy she’d learned far more about the two of them in one conversation than she’d learned about Yang in the entire five days she’d stayed with her.
Not that, that was entirely Yang’s fault they just didn’t click like she’d wanted. Perhaps part of that was Ilia’s very vocal interest in dating both of them or at least Blake which had led to some hesitance on both their parts.
Ruby even had a notepad with her that she scribbled important things about Ilia down on such as her birthday, April third, favorite ice cream, it actually was chocolate, and much more. Ruby promised she’d commit the information to memory soon despite Ilia’s protest that she didn’t need to.
She had learned that Ruby’s birthday was on Halloween which would thankfully be easy to remember as she adored the holiday as Ruby apparently did. Weiss’s was the fifteenth of May which would be harder to remember but not impossible. If Ruby and Weiss were going to go so far to make her feel comfortable then the least she could do was remember her birthday.
After they’d made a fair dent in the ice cream Weiss had replaced it and taken their dirty spoons to the kitchen while Ruby asked if she’d like to play a board game. Since it was still fairly early she’d agreed only for Ruby to pull out some sort of space adventure board game Weiss had shot down as soon as she’d seen it.
“Ruby that game can cause a divorce the way you play it. Pick something else,” Weiss demanded when she returned a few minutes later with cups of hot chocolate. Personally, Ilia wasn’t used to consuming so much sugar at one time so made a note to drink it slowly.
Weiss must have noticed her hesitance because she also handed Ilia a water bottle and explained as she sat down. “Ruby’s a bit of a sugar fiend, and she’s slowly corrupted me. You’re not used to it though so don’t feel the need to try and keep up, although if you stick around she’ll probably get you one day,” Weiss said teasingly as Ruby looked up from where she was rummaging for board games to cackle like a gremlin until Ilia surprised herself by picking up and hitting her with a plastic coaster that bounced off her hoodie.
She was again surprised that rather than get upset Ruby had laughed and Weiss had praised her aim while holding out her hand for a high five she granted slowly but seemed to please Weiss.
“I see how it is now!” Ruby stated dramatically before Weiss tossed her own coaster at the silver-eyed girl who laughed in response and went back to looking for a three-player board game.
They’d eventually settled for a card game although Ruby promised to find some three-player board games or she’d drag out some of her game systems, which Ilia wouldn’t mind getting to play at a later date.
They’d even managed to turn the game into a way to get to know more about Ilia with the winner asking one of the losers a question. Ilia wasn’t sure who won overall but she did notice that almost every question they asked was put to her and Ruby wrote a lot of notes in her pocket notepad while Weiss looked thoughtful like she was committing the information to memory. She’d won a few hands herself and tried to keep the questions even between the two of them.
Honestly, it was all she could do to focus on the game and not feel overwhelmed at the attention and acceptance they were showing her.
Eventually, she had broken and started crying. She was sure they’d realize what a mess she was and kick her out only to feel the couch dip as they sat on either side of her and asked if she wanted to talk about it.
It was stupid, weak, childish, and so many other things to people who’d been nothing but kind to her, but she poured out her heart to them. Her unrequited love for Blake which she realized was her own fault as Blake hadn’t led her on, and even tried to give her a chance and that she might not have even really loved her only been obsessed. Her life and how the Schnee Company had made it worse for everyone she’d known which Weiss bore with admirable aplomb and hadn’t even tried to defend her family at all. Her time in the White Fang and some of the things she’d done. How she hated them for making her think they cared, and how it wasn’t fair they were so nice to her when she’d done nothing to deserve it and why did they care so much.
Eventually, she’d just continued sobbing for a while as Weiss began humming, rubbing her back and Ruby tensed and slowly, haltingly began talking about her own life.
Losing her mother to cancer which had caused Yang’s mother to vanish, and later lose her father and Uncle to drink. How she and Yang had to raise each other and hadn’t had much of a chance for a childhood but they had each other.
That she’d become an author to make her mother proud and follow in her footsteps, and how her life changed for the better when she ran into a pretty, but volatile girl during her first day of high school, which Ilia managed a small giggle at when Weiss scowled but continued humming.
She then talked about the difficulties they faced in life and how much time and energy Weiss put into her efforts, and how so many days she’d work herself ragged, or to the bone and Ruby would have to take care of her because she just gave and gave without taking care of herself to the point that she made herself sick several times which Weiss looked uncomfortable the reminder of.
Ruby had taken over humming something entirely different as she rubbed Ilia’s back and Weiss spoke next. Explaining to Ilia about her upbringing. How her father had given her the famous scar she now bore when she refused to follow his instructions once when she was eleven. How her mother turned to drink and stopped being her mother once she found out her father only married her for the family name. Her sister had left her as soon as she could and it had strained their relationship ever since. She tried so hard to be there and take all the expectations for both herself and her brother that he became resentful of her and she was still trying to patch up the relationship to this day.
How she’d been run into by a red hooded menace her first day in high school and met Blake at the same time and that was the day her life truly changed for the better.
How she was forced to fight an uphill battle every day to get Faunus treated as they should be. The death threats from both sides of the issue and the constant nerve-wracking meetings and wondering if she’d let everyone down.
They hadn’t said much after that, but Ilia felt paradoxically better after unburdening herself even if she hadn’t meant to. The other two hadn’t judged her or even brought up her skin changing colors as she lost control of her emotions and had shared with her in return.
Ruby had drawn a blanket over the trio and they’d fallen asleep on the couch.
Ilia woke up feeling warm and content. She burrowed further into the source of warmth and opened her eyes slightly and noticed the other two had fallen asleep with their heads on each of her shoulders and holding hands across Ilia’s stomach which she found adorable.
Waking up like this was nice. She felt safe and loved for the first time in a long time. Perhaps she’d get a little more sleep before she got up for the day.
Just as she was about to fall asleep her mind wandered back to her previous thoughts and her eyes went wide.
Loved.
Oh…Oh god. It was happening again.