SxD: Attempt #4: The Obvious Hint (That Worked)

The rooftop of Beacon Academy was quiet that evening, save for the soft hum of the wind rustling through the trees and the distant murmur of student life far below. Lights glimmered across the campus like fireflies on the ground, and above them, the night sky was a canvas of stars, glinting like scattered Dust in the cosmos.

Weiss Schnee sat beside Issei Hyoudou, arms folded to ward off the chill, her high heels resting neatly beneath her, legs crossed at the ankles. She had chosen this spot, this moment, for a reason.

‘Everything’s perfect,’ She thought. ‘The timing, the setting, the mood... Even he’s quiet for once.’

She turned her head, watching him from the corner of her eye. His gaze was fixed upward, lips parted slightly as he took in the stars. The soft breeze tousled his hair, and for once, he looked… serene. Peaceful. Almost thoughtful.

‘Okay,’ She told herself. ‘Now or never.’

Taking a quiet breath, she smoothed a hand over her lap and said, with practiced calm, “So… do you ever think about dating?”

Issei blinked, slowly turning to face her. His brow furrowed like she’d just asked whether dragons preferred spicy food.

“Huh? Dating?” He scratched his cheek. “I mean, yeah, sometimes? It’s just… hard, y’know? With everything going on. No memories, constant fights, almost dying every week… kinda makes it tough to think about that kind of stuff when you don’t know who you are.”

Weiss pressed her lips into a tight line.

She didn’t scream. She didn’t explode. She wanted to. But instead, she nodded slowly, as if that made sense.

‘It doesn’t make sense. You're alive right now, aren’t you?! This is a perfect time to think about it! You absolute battle-baked moron—!’

Still, she tried again.

“Well… what about now? Anyone… on your mind?” She tilted her head slightly, giving him just enough of a side glance to make her meaning clear. Or so she thought.

Issei looked genuinely thoughtful. “Hmm. Not really?”

She blinked. “Really?”

He nodded with the innocent confidence of a man who had no idea he was walking into a verbal minefield. “Yeah. I mean, everyone here’s cool and the girls are beautiful. Like you! You’re awesome.” He smiled at her brightly. “You are actually pretty scary sometimes. In a good way!”

Weiss stared at him, stunned into silence.

‘He thinks I’m beautiful.’

That wasn’t… bad? But it wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.

“Oh my gods, help me,” She whispered under her breath, turning her gaze upward again to glare at the heavens. ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’

Another gust of wind blew her bangs into her eyes, and she brushed them aside with an annoyed huff.

‘Okay. New plan. Simpler wording. Maybe an example. Something he can’t possibly miss.’

“So,” She said slowly, carefully, “let’s say… hypothetically… if someone you cared about wanted to go on a date—”

“Wait,” he interrupted, eyes wide, “Ruby and Jaune are dating?!”

Weiss stared at him.

She stared at him like he had grown a second head and it had started reciting bad poetry.

“That’s not what I—!” She threw her hands up. “Ugh!”

Issei winced, ducking his head slightly. “Sorry! It just… I mean, that’s what it sounded like!”

“It wasn’t,” She said flatly. “At all.”

He looked sheepish. “Right. Sorry again. You were saying?”

“No,” she sighed. “Never mind. The hypothetical situation is dead. It died a painful, flaming death at the bottom of the oblivious cliff.”

Issei frowned. “Was it a tall cliff?”

Weiss slowly turned her head to look at him. “Do you want me to shove you off one?”

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck again. “Heh, maybe not.”

There was a long, painful silence between them. Weiss looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as her stomach churned with a mixture of disappointment and lingering hope.

‘How does he survive battles but not basic flirting?’

Then, just when she was about to write off the night entirely, she heard him speak again—quietly.

“…Was that hypothetical about you?”

Weiss froze.

Slowly, she turned her head, her hair fluttering again in the wind. His face was turned away, but the tips of his ears were red.

“Maybe,” She said coolly, heart thudding in her chest. “Why?”

Issei scratched his cheek again. “Because… if it was… I wouldn’t say no. It’s just.” Soon a look of sadness and conflict came to his face. “Weiss. I don’t even know who I am or where I’m from? What if the person in front of you is a lie or what if wherever I’m from I have people waiting for me?”

Her heart stopped and Weiss looked down in thought as what he said was true but something inside her refused to accept it. “Then we would deal with it together when the time comes.” She said carefully. “Would you refuse to start living your life with me?”

“You’re… amazing, cool. And kinda scary. And really smart. And you’ve been nice to me, even when I am being stupid.”

Weiss blinked. ‘Is it finally happening.’

“Also,” He added with a grin, “You looked really pretty the other day. It really showed your legs. I just didn’t wanna say it out loud in front of the others.”

Her eyes widened. “You noticed?”

“Of course I noticed,” he said, a little bashfully. “I’m not that dense.”

Weiss stared at him. Then laughed—quiet, breathless, and slightly hysterical.

“Could’ve fooled me,” She muttered.

“Sorry,” he said again, rubbing his neck. “So uh… if we ever do wanna go on a date… I wouldn’t mind.”

She tilted her head toward him, arching a brow. “Hypothetically?”

He smiled. “Nah. For real this time.”

Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, sighed into the wind—and smiled. “About time.”