En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 41: Fluttering Feelings

Weiss laid back on the bench when Ruby left for her match. The way her crazy friend barreled her over with excitement was expected, but still overwhelming. And she certainly didn't expect Ruby to tackle her to the ground like that.

Either way, Weiss' heart hadn't slowed a tick in the thirty seconds her friend had been absent. Ruby looked so joyful, so bright, so full of life, and so close. Lying there with her best friend on top of her gave Weiss a strange feeling not very different from that of having the wind knocked out of her lungs.

When she and Winter were young, Weiss would often come into her older sister's room and snuggle with her when she had a nightmare, and she and Blake had hugged several times. Those were the only other times she'd purposefully made contact with someone.

The feeling she just got from Ruby was far from the same. It was tight and uncomfortable, but the strangest part about it was that she wanted it to happen again.

Weiss realized that this emotion wasn't entirely new. Recently, every time their hands touched, or Ruby leaned in close to whisper something in her ear, or they made direct eye contact, Weiss felt that crushing weight. It was very faint compared to how she felt at that moment, but it was there.

She couldn't get the image of Ruby looming over her out of her mind. Those piercing silver eyes were boring into her memory, threatening to permanently stamp themselves into her thoughts. She almost feared that they would.

The daydreaming heiress shook her head violently to snap herself out of it and stood up. There was a chance that the match had started already, and she didn't want to miss any more of it.

Weiss hadn't felt more proud of her accomplishments in a long time. Watching her student from the door filled her with relief that their training had paid off.

She compared Ruby's form now to when they'd had that life-changing match months ago. She was lighter on her feet, well-balanced, more aggressive, and, best of all, focused.

The heiress still felt a pang in her heart from being unable to join her friend in the glory of competitive fencing, but this was far better than nothing. Ruby acted as a sort of indirect link to the sport she enjoyed so much, and it was enough to make a smile tug at the stern girl's lips.

When the match ended, even Weiss was surprised by how thoroughly her pupil completely dominated Hope Academy's representatives. She was about to leave the prep room to congratulate Ruby, but remembered that it was a bad idea to be seen by anyone.

There was always the possibility of someone her father knew seeing her, and that was the last thing she wanted. Weiss had faked a fever and was supposed to be at home and in bed, but Blake was generous and understanding enough to drive her to the recreation center in secret.

When Ruby came rushing back after politely shaking the other girl's hand, Weiss was ready. The door flew open, and in came a grey blur. Weiss neatly sidestepped and sent Ruby crashing towards her inevitable doom.

The heiress couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You nearly did a round-off," she giggled.

Ruby brought her head up, sitting on the floor in a daze. She exclaimed dizzily, "Did'ja see that...?!"

"I saw you trip, yes," Weiss teased.

Ruby picked up the helmet she'd dropped and shook her head like a wet dog to clear the spinning stars. "No, I mean the match. I totally kicked butt!"

"Of course I saw," the white-haired girl scoffed. "I didn't come all this way just to sit in some boring old room."

The goofy grin on her friend's face melted a hole in Weiss' icy defenses, but was quickly rebuilt with skill from her many years of practice. "You overdid it," she scolded.

Ruby wilted like a flower in a time lapse. "I didn't mean to," she whined. "I was just really excited..."

"What reason would you have to be this enthusiastic about your first match of the season?" Weiss inquired skeptically.

"Well," Ruby turned away and responded with a shrug, "you're here."

Weiss felt her heart skip a beat, then start hammering like she'd ran a marathon. Maybe I really am getting sick, she thought shakily. I'm starting to feel faint.

She inconspicuously sat down as Ruby stood up and began taking off her gear. Because of gym class, both girls were accustomed to changing clothes around one another.

"It was so hot out there, and having to wear all this extra padding sucks," Ruby whined. "Good thing I brought a change of clothes in case if things got... heated." She laughed at her own joke and peeled off her shirt. Ruby didn't strip any further than that, but it was enough to attract a certain pair of icy blue eyes.

Weiss knew there was definitely something wrong with her when she began analyzing a body that wasn't hers. And the sweaty brunette got perfect scores in every category.

Lean muscles shifted smoothly with Ruby's movements, her pale skin giving a slight reflection from the lights. The only flaw to her features was that little scab across her abdomen, but it looked like it was healing well. Tiny beads of moisture on her neck seemed to enhance her inhumanly athletic features, and Weiss liked it.

There really wasn't any jealousy or self-deprecation involved. A feeling the cold heiress had shoved into the recesses of her soul came bubbling back up as she connected the dots.

Right on cue, Yang popped into the room. The first thing she noticed was the way Weiss was checking out her little sister. "Looks like you've seen both of us shirtless now," she joked.

"Wha- Yang, get out of here!" Ruby yelped, throwing her helmet at the laughing blonde. She closed the door before the projectile could hit its mark.

Nothing else stopped Weiss from staring to her heart's content until Ruby slipped on the tank top she had brought with her. Weiss' conscience whined in complaint of no longer being able to trace her spine, but she silenced it with the solace of the younger girl still having her toned arms and upper chest exposed.

"You okay?" Ruby asked when she noticed that Weiss hadn't moved since she last saw her. "You look kinda zoned-out."

The heiress snapped out of her internal monologue and scrambled to get her usual self together. "Me?" She denied nervously. "I'm just fine. Nothing wrong, just... thinking."

"About what?" Ruby wondered out loud.

Weiss stifled a groan when she realized that she had just dug her own grave. She frantically searched her mental filing cabinet for a topic to lie about.

"My father," she fibbed. "He thinks I'm at home with a fever. Who knows what he would do if he found out that I snuck out to watch my friend fence?"

"He'd be so pissed," Ruby giggled. "I haven't even met him, and I know that. Maybe we should get going so he doesn't miss you."

"Yes, I suppose that's for the best," Weiss agreed. She couldn't help the hint of disappointment in her tone.

"Then, let's go!" the brunette chirped, enthusiastic as ever. "I have an appointment with a hair stylist."

AN: this chapter's alternate title is "Useless Lesbian" for obvious reasons. It's about time that dense-ass muthafuka realized that she's hella gay XD as always, hope you enjoyed the chapter and expect to see more next week! Check the pic at the beginning of each chapter from here on out for little parodies ;)