"What the hell are you wearing?!"
Weiss couldn't help but smile hearing Yang's reaction to Ruby's sweater. It was truly awful. Green with a snowflake pattern, tinsel wrapped around it with tiny ornaments strung up. Weiss thought she'd never seen anything uglier. She couldn't wait for Yang's reaction to her matching one. She went to meet them in the living room, making sure her big candy cane earrings were straight.
"Weiss! Not you too!!" Yang whined when she rounded the corner. "Look, I love Christmas as much as anyone." Yang points to her own sweater as if to prove that point. "But those are crossing a line. They've gotta be illegal or something!"
Weiss walks over greets Blake with a hug, doing the same with Yang immediately after. "You're just jealous that Ruby and I are dressed in a more ostentatious manner than you for once." She sticks her tongue out playfully. "Regardless, thank you both for coming."
"Of course! If your baby sister invites you over to make gingerbread houses you'd have to be some sort of heartless monster to say no." Yang grins, reaching out to ruffle Ruby's hair. Weiss plants a kiss on Ruby's cheek before turning and leading them all into the kitchen, where she had 4 pristine gingerbread houses ready for decorating.
"Dang Weiss, I didn't expect you to be good at baking, but those look great!" Yang exclaimed.
"Well, thank you. Ruby made those though. I'm probably more in line with your expectations, baking isn't my strong suit."
"Aww Weiss, don't sell yourself short! Besides, I can bake, but you always do all the decorating." Ruby beams at her, causing Weiss to roll her eyes, unable to hide the smile forcing its way onto her lips. Weiss turns on a playlist of Christmas music, causing a groan to escape her wife's lips.
"Weiss do you have to? Christmas music is so laaaaaaaaame." She whines, covering her ears in an exaggerated way.
"Yes, Ruby, I do. The holiday's demand a certain level of festivity. Besides, I rather enjoy Christmas music. You can put up with it for your wife's sake, like you do every year." Ruby rolls her eyes and gives a lengthy sigh.
"Fine, but you better appreciate how much I love you!"
"I do Ruby, believe me I do." Weiss leans in and presses a chaste kiss to Ruby's lips. "Happy?"
"For now." Ruby grins wide, a smile that hasn't stopped melting Weiss' heart since the very day they met.
With that business concluded they got to work. Weiss rolled up her sleeves and began her meticulous decorating, doing her best to not get distracted by the veritable whirlwind next to her. Ruby, as always when it came to sweets, was in a frenzy, worrying more about how much sugar she could pile on before the house collapsed, than making it look good. Weiss had explained several times that the gingerbread was stale, and the decorating was for fun not really for eating. Ruby of course ignored these explanations, and was fully intent on eating hers. And the other three if she had her way. Blake, like Weiss, was much calmer in her approach, though lacking the heiress' distinct competitive nature. Weiss figures Blake's will turn out well, if a little simple. Yang was determined to have the best looking house, just like Weiss, but her distinct lack of finesse was showing in spades.
Weiss flinches as a glob of icing lands on her cheek. She looks over at Ruby, who notices and smiles wide. Ruby leans over and kisses Weiss on the cheek, licking up the icing. The taller girl feels a slight heat rush to her cheeks.
"I would appreciate the kiss if it wasn't painfully obvious that you just wanted the frosting."
"That's not fair Weiss, I totally wanted to kiss you too, see?!" She leans in pecking Weiss on the lips, the smile never leaving her face.
"If you had wanted to kiss me, Ruby, you would have done it like this."
Weiss grabs her wife by the collar and pulls her back in, locking their lips together with a slight exhale. Far more than the little peck Ruby had offered, Weiss felt that this was a proper passionate kiss. She would have been quite content to remain like that all night had it not been for Blake quietly clearing her throat. How could she have forgotten they had company? Weiss pulls away, and straightens her sweater, ignoring the furious heat overwhelming her face. Ruby however, seems happier than ever, a giddy smile plastered across her face as she turns back to her house, applying far too many sprinkles.
"You guys are starting to act like us." Yang comments with a grin.
"Shut it Xiao Long."
Returning her focus to her house Weiss began focusing her attention on the snow around the house, using royal icing, and some clear sprinkles to give it an icy effect. She was lining the roof with frosting when a small squeak from Blake drew her attention. Looking over, she notices a slight flush in the cat Faunus' cheeks. She figured Yang must've done something indecent, but decided immediately to ignore it. Not only did she not want to know, but those two had been gracious enough to ignore her and Ruby's display. Well, as much as Yang could ignore it anyway.
Weiss puts the finishing touches on her house, a sprinkling of powdered sugar to look like freshly fallen snow on the roof. She gives it one last look over before smiling, content with the work she had done. She sets her creation on the island, next to Ruby's. Ruby was done in about 10 minutes, and Weiss could tell there was no real competition there. Of course this was just for fun. Back in their Beacon days, Weiss was sure Ruby would have called this a team bonding exercise. They may not actually be competing, but Weiss was determined to win regardless.
Weiss' looks immaculate of course. Small candy canes border the door, where a mini marshmallow serves as a doorknob. Above the door, two more candy canes form a heart, stuck to the wall and filled in with icing. Sliced almonds act as paving stones on a short pathway lined with chocolate clusters. Green gumdrops dusted with sugar act as small bushes around the house. Snowflakes and patterns line the walls. A clump of pretzel sticks held together with royal icing are a store of faux firewood in the back. Licorice makes up the trim of the roof, with a small wisp of cotton candy protruding from the chimney. Though not part of the house, she also decorated four gingerbread men to look like Team RWBY. As she looks over her work she realizes something is missing. Or rather, something isn't missing that should be. She hands Yang's cookie to Ruby who happily bites the arm off, handing it back to be placed along side the others. Yang just rolls her eyes at their antics.
Ruby's house was up next. It is truly a nightmare to behold in Weiss' eyes. More a mound of icing and various candies than a gingerbread house at all. There is something vaguely house shaped underneath it all, but the overwhelming amount of peppermints, gumdrops, marshmallows and other assorted sweets makes it look... unique. Weiss knows there's a gingerbread Team RWBY in there somewhere, likely buried in a mountain of frosting. Weiss sighs, and ruffles her wife's hair gently. Ruby's smile only widens. She loves how patient Weiss is, and always does her best to push it juuuuuust far enough to be endearing, and not annoying. Ruby plants a playful kiss on her wife's cheek.
Blake's was nice and simple, a welcome reprieve from the chaos that was Ruby's house. Hard shelled candies lining the roof, a simple lattice pattern done in icing on top with peppermints at each intersection. The windows and door are cut out with masterful precision. Candy cane pillars are at each corner of the house. Marshmallows of different sizes are stacked in front of the house as a little snowman. Overall, it's neat, and well done. Weiss appreciates the effort it must have taken to make it look so nice while also trying to reign in Yang's ambitions.
Yang's house is notably larger than the others, to Weiss' surprise. Yang has used pieces of spare gingerbread and plenty of icing to try and add several rooms to her house. She has even added a second story. Unfortunately, the structural integrity of the house looks... compromised at best. There are cracks in the walls, and copious amounts of icing used to glue pieces back on. The roof is slathered with frosting, and coated with sprinkles. 4 bare gingerbread men stand on the lawn, Yang having run out of time to decorate them. Too focused on making her house larger and larger. It's vibrant and colorful to her credit Weiss thought, but she was certain that adding as many sweets as she had was doing nothing to help it's already precarious standing.
With Weiss declared the unanimous winner, even if only in her own mind, they all watch as Ruby devours hers. Weiss insists on at least taking a picture of it first. Watching Ruby eat that much sugar makes Weiss nauseous. She should really get used to that. She just doesn't know how Ruby manages to stomach things like that.
"Well? How was it?" Yang inquires as Ruby finishes the last of it.
"Stale." Ruby says, looking mildly disappointed, causing Weiss to sigh.
"If only your wife had tried to warn you of that."
"Oh come on Weiss, you know I never listen to you warnings." Ruby laughs, wrapping Weiss in a tight embrace despite her protestations.
"Yang, would you mind getting a fire started? I'll make some hot chocolate for all of us." Weiss asks, grabbing a saucepan and clicking the stove on.
Yang and Blake head to the living room, and soon a comfortable warmth filled the cozy house. Ruby stays in the kitchen. She wraps her arms gently around her wife's waist, resting her head on the taller girls' shoulder. Weiss smiles, as she pours milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and just a pinch of salt into the saucepan, stirring it gently. Once the mixture is nice and warm, she lets Ruby add a bar of semi-sweet chocolate, and just a dash of vanilla extract, whisking it all in, and pouring it into 4 big mugs. She drops a few marshmallows into Ruby's, topping them all with a bit of whipped cream, extra for Ruby of course.
The pair carries the mugs out to the living room, handing them to Blake and Yang before taking their places on the couch, Ruby leaning comfortably against Weiss. They all sit, enjoying the hot chocolate, the warmth of the fire, and the company of each other. The night passes quickly, far too quickly for Weiss' liking. When it is at last time to say goodnight, Weiss collects the empty mugs, rinsing them quickly, and meeting Ruby at the door to say goodbye to their guests. The pair exchanges tight hugs with their teammates, promising to do this all again soon. The door closes behind them, a final wave given at the last moment. A contented sigh comes from Weiss's before she turns to Ruby.
"That was nice."
"Yeah! I thought decorating gingerbread houses would be kinda boring, but I really enjoyed it!" She smiles, wrapping her arms around Weiss' neck.
"We'll have to make it a yearly tradition then." Weiss replies, pressing her lips passionately to Ruby's.
The two pull apart feeling a crunch between them. Looking down they see several of the ornaments adorning their sweaters cracked and falling apart, a result of the crushing embrace of Yang no doubt. A smile creeps onto their lips, and following not long after comes laughter, filling their cozy house with yet more warmth. Weiss takes Ruby's hand and begins leading her up the stairs.
"I think it's about time we take these horribly hideous things off."
"I couldn't agree more Weiss. My pj's are calling, and they will not be denied!"