It was late at night, a midwinter night. Remnant's shattered moon and the lights along Beacon's paths provided the only illumination at this hour, but she didn't need more than that to see the world. She could smell the pollution in the air, taste it on her tongue, and she could hear the sound of silence. The cold wind felt good on her skin. It reminded her she was alive, something she needed on such nights.
Blake didn't know why she felt so empty, sitting on the broad ledge outside the dormitory window. Her long, black mane blew in the breeze, and amber eyes shone as she looked out over the school's grounds. It was well past curfew, but her keen eyes could discern a few couples out on late-night trysts. Some, she knew. Others, she did not. In both cases, she found that her chest began to feel tight if she focused on a couple for too long.
Her ears flicked in irritation under her ever-present bow. She hated that feeling in her chest- it made her feel weak, which wasn't something she appreciated. Suddenly, they stopped twitching, and perked up instead. She was hearing footsteps, ones that could only belong to one woman, distinguishable and clear even without shoes.
"Something the matter?" Weiss asked, stepping out on to the ledge beside the faunus.
"Nothing," Blake replied irritably. "Just couldn't sleep."
"That's never nothing," the heiress sighed. "People aren't kept up by nothing."
"I guess I'm an exception," the faunus replied with a shrug. "What are you doing up and about?"
"I woke up five minutes ago. I'm not sure why," the fencer answered, taking a seat next to her teammate. "Then, I noticed you were out here, and decided to find out why."
"I figured some fresh air might help me get to sleep," Blake groaned in response.
It was a long moment before either of them spoke again. "You know," Weiss said, "sometimes, I find myself out here alone. When I can't sleep, I mean. I find it really does help. Besides, sometimes you get to see something interesting. You wouldn't believe the number of faunus-human couples."
"Is that a problem?" Blake spat.
"What? No. I just thought they'd be afraid, is all. You're still mad about the White Fang thing, aren't you?"
"Kind of hard to forget when someone calls you pure evil."
"Kind of hard to forget when someone kills multiple close friends and family members," the heiress spat back. "Look, we were both wrong. I get why the White Fang does what they do. I really do. But I'm still not exactly ready to forgive it."
Blake closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall, enjoying the cold on her cheek. "And I understand if you hate me for it," she grumbled back.
"Why would I ever hate you for it?"
Blake sat up in shock, only her incredible balance preventing her from plummeting to the ground. "What?"
"Why would I hate you?" Weiss repeated. "It's not like you did it. Besides, you're my friend now, and you left the White Fang when you realized where it was headed. I know you're a better person than that."
Blake turned to her teammate. "Still. Even if it was indirectly, I was involved. I feel guilty."
Weiss threw an arm around her counterpart. "Yeah, well, don't."
"It's not that simple."
"I know, I know. Emotions are complicated. I'm just saying there's no need for you to feel bad about what other people do. It's not like their actions were ever your responsibility."
Blake's eyes widened in shock. She never expected the heiress to say anything so kind. Even though it was true, logically, it was like Weiss said- emotions are illogical and complex. When grief and anger strike, blame is placed everywhere, no matter where it really belongs. "Thanks," she choked out. "That means a lot more than you think."
To the faunus' surprise, Weiss drew closer. "I worry about you a lot, you know. You push yourself too hard."
"You say that as if you don't," Blake responded. "And we both know Ruby and Yang are, too."
"I worry about you more," the whitette murmured with a blush. "I know it doesn't always show, but you mean a lot to me."
Blake found herself drawing closer to Weiss, putting an arm around the fencer's waist. Those... Are really nice hips. ... Oh crap. "It shows more than you think."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You're good at playing the Ice Queen, but it's not you, and I can tell. So can Ruby and Yang."
"So the whole facade was for nothing," she sighed. Strangely enough, it was a happy sigh. "I'm actually kind of glad you could see through it."
"Well, we care enough to take a look."
Before Weiss knew what she was doing, Blake was making a very interesting noise. The heiress was sure the faunus would have actually said something, if not for the fact that their lips were pressed together.
To her own surprise as much as Weiss', Blake melted into it, parting her lips just enough to taste the heiress for a brief moment before pulling away, cheeks burning. "... Okay, did we really just do that?"
The fencer couldn't keep the red off her own cheeks, looking down into her lap in an unusually meek way. "I think we did," she mumbled. "The question is whether you liked it."
"Are you saying you did?"
"Of course I did, dunce. I love you," Weiss mumbled.
Blake gave a smirk. "Words aren't enough for how much I enjoyed that. I love you too. So get over here and do it again."
The whitette was happy to oblige. It was a chaste kiss, but they found themselves enjoying it that much more for it. When they pulled apart again, the faunus wasted no time resting her head in the crook of the heiress' shoulder. Weiss made a point of playing with her long, black mane, running her fingers through the soft, thick hair over and over. She giggled and snorted in a most unbecoming manner when Blake began purring, against her own will.
The faunus sat up abruptly, and the low noise from her throat stopped as she coughed a little to clear it. Her cheeks were practically glowing with red.
"You know," Weiss got out around her laughter, "I never would have thought fauni actually did that!"
"It's not something we're happy about," Blake growled. "We actually hate it. It reinforces the idea that we're not much better than actual animals."
"I just think it's adorable," Weiss said with a shrug, sobering up.
"Well, we don't. At least try to not laugh at it?"
"No promises. But I'll try. Just for you. But I just remembered where we are. Maybe- this is just an idea- we should go back inside?"
The faunus just laughed. "Yeah, maybe we should," she said. Even in this light the heiress could see something that shocked her. Blake was smiling. It made her heart beat just a little faster, and she couldn't say she minded.
Blake thought much the same of the similarly rare smile on Weiss' face. She thought it was a sight to behold, and enjoyed it thoroughly. "You should smile more. It suits you."
"I could say the same of you," the whitette replied as they came back into the dorm, climbing into the same bed. They were just beginning to realize how cold they were, and used it as an excuse to curl up together under the thick blankets, taking comfort in the warmth and closeness. In an unspoken agreement, they decided to kiss the night away, but they fell asleep at some point, it seemed clear enough when, the next thing either of them knew, Ruby and Yang were giggling over them in the harsh light coming through the window from the winter sunrise.
The new couple found they didn't mind it. They looked at one another, and concluded it was worth it. To look into one another's eyes and feel loved, it would always be worth it.