Smile

Chapter 2

"HNNH! OW!"

Weiss cries out in pain as her fork impacts against her teeth, a sharp hiss escaping before she glares down at her food with disdain. Ruby recoils slightly at the sounds Weiss emits, smile faltering as she glances over at her teammate while she tries miserably to enjoy her breakfast. It had been a few days since their visit to the doctors and her unfortunate acquiring of a set of braces, and to her surprise she had been able to hide her new metal from everyone save for her teammates, including and especially her sister Winter.

"Weiss, there's no need to be upset, I know it hurts, but it'll be okay." Ruby says in an attempt to comfort her friend, Weiss responding with a grumpy frown and a sound of annoyance.

"Tch... Okay? How could this possibly be okay? My mouth is in a lot of pain, I have to keep this hidden, and to make matters worse I can hardly stomach food right now..." She says before groaning, Yang electing to speak as she settles down at the table with Blake.

"And why do you need to keep your braces such a big important secret?" Comes an amused question, Yang receiving a glare from the metal mouth former heiress before any words are spoken.

"You know very well why. I can't let my sister know, I'd only be disappointing her..." She begins to say, face burying into her hands before she speaks further, "And I can't fathom what Jaune, Ren, and Nora would think if they saw me like this... I'll tell them eventually, but not now..." Before anyone gets a chance to respond a commotion can be heard coming from outside the cafeteria, all four sets of eyes alongside various other sets from around the room falling towards the source.

"Jacques, I demand that you leave immediately, you are not welcome here, and if you do not comply I will have you forcibly removed." The familiar voice of General Ironwood says in a particularly commanding tone to a figure identified as Jacques.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me, James, I will see my daughters, and I will put a stop to this nonsense embargo of yours, mark my words." Comes the irritated voice of Jacques Schnee in response, joined by him and General Ironwood coming into view just outside the entrance to the cafeteria. Jacques glances inside at the various students staring back at him, and before long his gaze finds focus on Weiss who looks more than a little distraught, Ironwood hardly able to stop him as he marches over to her with a look of annoyance on his face.

"I see you're still with this... This so called 'family' of yours, child." He remarks to his daughter with a disgusted glance given towards Blake for a few moments. Weiss declines to reply or even so much as gaze towards him, furthering his irritation, his frown quickly fading into a scowl. "You will speak to me when I address you, child, or so help me." A hand is raised as if he is going to hit Weiss, startling her into recoiling away and opening her mouth out of fright, braces being put on display. However, before he can do much of anything, Ironwood grabs his hand and forces it down, Jacques glaring at him for a few moments before looking back at Weiss.

"I see you've been neglecting your health. You look like as much of a child now as you did when you were eleven." He dryly comments with a slight smirk before being forcibly lead away by Ironwood and two guards, Weiss doing nothing but staring in shock as she processes what had just been said to her.

"Weiss? Are you okay?" Ruby begins to ask, a hand reaching out to grab Weiss's shoulder comfortingly, but before she can do so Weiss abruptly stands up and runs from the room. "Weiss! Wait!" Ruby calls after her, a nod given by Yang and Blake after she looks to them being all she needs before she chases her. Ruby's chase eventually leads her back to their dorm, and a quick glance inside reveals a figure hiding under the blankets on Weiss's bed and what sounds like soft crying.

"G... Go away Ruby..." Weiss weakly says before Ruby gets a chance to enter the room more than a step, Ruby declining to heed to her request and instead approaching her bed. Ruby carefully seats herself on the edge of the bed before forcibly pulling Weiss into a hug, keeping her wrapped in the blanket so that she may remain 'hidden' as she had wanted.

"Shh... It's okay Weiss... Your dad is just a bully, that's all." She begins to say, Weiss gradually pulling the blanket down away from her head before glancing down at the floor.

"... Do I... Really look like a child, Ruby?" Comes a hesitant question after a few moments of silence, Ruby unable to help a giggle before she speaks.

"That depends, do you want to?" Her response earns her a light punch to the shoulder and a weak smile from the no longer crying teen, the blanket being pulled around her shoulders afterwards.

"Not funny, Ruby..." She murmurs before leaning into Ruby's side, Ruby gladly leaning against her as silence takes over for the time being, at least until Blake and Yang make an appearance sometime later. Ruby eventually gets up and departs to her own bed, leaving Weiss to her lonesome, at least until Ruby and Yang leave, Blake waiting a minute or so before approaching Weiss and seating herself on the edge of her bed. Before Weiss gets a chance to question what she's doing Blake pulls out her scroll, brings up a picture, and shows it to Weiss, startling her slightly as her gaze fall onto it.

"Y... You had braces too?" She asks, staring down at the picture of nine year old Blake, smiling as bright as she can and showing off the glimmering braces lining her teeth. Blake nods, then waits until Weiss is finished looking at the picture before stowing away her scroll and responding.

"I did, so I know how it feels, what you're going through." She begins to say, electing to pop out the top retainer hidden behind her upper teeth for a few moments to reveal it before slipping it back into place. "Mom and dad always wanted the best for me, and that included my health, so when it was the right moment they had me get braces. It wasn't terribly fun, I'll admit, but I'm grateful I got to experience something that made me feel... More like a normal kid." No sooner does she fall silent before Weiss pulls her into a hug, one which is reciprocated all too willingly.

"Thank you, for sharing that with me. Do... Do Yang and Ruby know?" Weiss asks, a slight shake of the head being given by Blake. "Figured as much." Blake chuckles a little before gently squeezing Weiss, then releases her just as she's released by her friend. "Don't worry, I... I won't tell either of them."

"I trust you, and even if Yang found out, she knows what I'd do if she spoke a word of it." Weiss can't help but giggle a little, Blake offering her a hand which she gladly accepts. "Want to go have some lunch? There's this ramen shop not far away from here, I think it would be soft enough for you to eat." Weiss nods before standing up, no more than a few words being uttered in response before she departs with Blake.

"I'd love to."