Another fanfiction, this one was written kind of hastily. I liked the idea but I don't feel that I wrote it well. I was about to give up completely on it but I was half way through already so I adjusted it and finished it up. Not my best work, I will admit. But yeah, Ruby has a nightmare and Weiss knows how to comfort her. White rose one-shot. Enjoy.
~Rambling Madwoman
It didn't happen often. Almost every night, Ruby would sleep through the night peacefully, the only movement coming from the slow rise and fall of her chest. Weiss always found this surprising, her hyperactive partner was so calm in her sleep, like she was storing energy to release during the day. Not that she complained, she actually rather enjoyed Ruby pulling her close at night and remaining that way till they awoke.
But when it did happen, Weiss knew immediately.
It started out slowly, Ruby shifting uncomfortably in her sleep. She'd roll away from Weiss slightly, not enough to wake the girl yet, but enough to make the heiress shiver at the loss of heat. Her fingers would begin to twitch, her head would flick from side to side, watching for something that wasn't there.
Eventually she'd start tossing and turning, and usually this would wake Weiss up. She'd try to shake off the demons that haunted her, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to block the images from her mind. She'd reach out in her sleep, grasping at the people she'd never see again.
This particular night, Weiss didn't wake at Ruby's shifting, slumbering peacefully as her partner shook and silently called out, chasing something she'd never catch. Only when the scythe-wielder called out in her sleep for Weiss did said girl awake. She looked to Ruby frantically, who now was thrashing about.
"Ruby! Ruby, wake up. It's just a nightmare!" Weiss called out gently, shaking her girlfriend's shoulders in an attempt to rouse her from the nightmare. After a few more shakes Ruby shot up, gasping and covered in a cold sweat. She whipped her head back and forth, trying to get her bearings. Seeing Weiss, her silver orbs filled with tears and she dashed from the bed into the bathroom.
Weiss watched as Ruby almost shut the door, but not quite. She waited patiently on the bed, listening with a broken heart as Ruby sobbed in the bathroom. Ruby hadn't shut the door completely, but closing it to the point that Weiss couldn't see her told her that Ruby needed a few minutes to herself.
When the muffled crying stopped Weiss anxiously watched the bathroom door. After a few seconds it was opened just slightly, but Weiss saw the open invitation. Walking over, she carefully opened the door to see a puffy-eyed Ruby sitting on the floor, staring into space. The heiress wasted no time dropping to the floor beside Ruby and pulling her into a hug.
Ruby let her without any resistance, curling in to her partner's comforting embrace. More sobs wracked her body as Weiss ran her fingers gently through the short black hair. "It's ok Ruby, I'm right here." Weiss comforted the girl, wishing she wasn't familiar with this situation. The shaking continued for a few more minutes, Weiss doing her best to quell the fears that haunted Ruby.
"I-I didn't protect you…" Ruby started, her voice trembling. "I wasn't able to protect you from the explosion, back in the factory…" She explained, even though they both knew exactly what Ruby was talking about. Weiss gently stroked the scarred skin covering the right side of Ruby's face. It had taken months, but Weiss had eventually assured Ruby that she was not fazed by the scarring and convinced her to sleep without the eyepatch, knowing it made the skin underneath extremely irritated.
Ruby didn't usually have nightmares about the incident, they were more often about her mother or a couple hunting accidents they'd had. "I'm right here Ruby. I'm fine, you're fine, we're together." Weiss said soothingly, rubbing circles on her partner's back. The shaking slowed, but Ruby suddenly crushed Weiss to her, tucking Weiss in to her lap as if the heiress was the one needing comfort. She nuzzled her face in to the white tresses, taking deep breaths and tried to calm her breathing.
Weiss curled closer to her girlfriend, grasping her shirt with both hands to keep her close. She buried her face in the crook of Ruby's neck, pressing a soft kiss to the skin. The heiress knew that what Ruby needed right now was the physical proof that Weiss was with her, and not gone like in her nightmare. "I'm right here," Weiss whispered over and over in to Ruby's ear, content to comfort Ruby for as long as it took.
Weiss couldn't stand seeing the normally hyperactive and constantly overjoyed girl so crushed, so defeated. The worst part was that there was nothing Weiss could do besides comfort her partner as she broke down in her arms. This was not an opponent she could fight or fend off, the most she could do was calm her partner down after it already happened.
"Weiss," Ruby mumbled, her voice hoarse from crying. The heiress looked up at her partner just in time to have Ruby capture her lips in a tender kiss. Weiss returned the kiss immediately, gently wrapping her arms around the younger girl's neck to pull her closer.
They remained in the embrace till they had to breathe, pressing their foreheads together. "I'd do it all over again, for you Weiss. I'd do it a thousand times over for you." Ruby murmured, causing Weiss to gently grasp Ruby's forearm and lightly run her fingers over the lumpy scarred skin. "I don't agree, but I know, dolt." She replied with a small smirk.
They remained on the bathroom floor for a few more minutes before Ruby stood up, bringing Weiss with her in a bridal carry. Weiss had no qualms with this, curling closer to her girlfriend. When she was set on the bed her hand shot out and instinctively grabbed a handful of Ruby's shirt, not allowing any space between them.
When Ruby crawled back into the bed beside Weiss she immediately pulled the heiress to her. There was no space between them, Weiss wouldn't have it any other way. With a few last meaningful words exchanged in between yawns, Weiss turned to face Ruby and nuzzle her face in to the crook of her neck. Weiss fell asleep quickly, the heartbeat of her dolt lulling her back to sleep.